Iceland: volcanic activity “seems to have stopped,” but the eruption cannot be said to have ended

The threat appears to be easing. In Iceland, volcanic activity associated with the Sundnuksgigar eruption, which occurred southwest of Reykjavik on Monday, appears to have ceased. However, it is not yet possible to say whether this eruption has ended, the Icelandic Meteorological Institute (IMO) wrote on Friday. “Volcanic activity appears to have ceased late last night or early this morning,” the state agency said in a statement.

“Despite this, it is possible that the lava is flowing below in closed channels and therefore the eruption cannot be said to have ended,” the IMO said. Surveillance camera images no longer show the impressive lava flows seen in the first two days of the eruption. Authorities lowered the alert level: A state of emergency imposed Monday evening after the eruption began was lifted to make way for an “alert phase,” one level lower.

The eruption, the fourth in two years, began on Monday at 22:17 (23:17 in France) after a series of earthquakes around 21:00 three kilometers from the small town of Grindavik, population 4,000, evacuated since November 11 after a significant accumulation of magma. On Thursday, city residents were allowed to go home during the day, but there was no question of returning home immediately.

A wall to protect Grindavik?

The Svartsengi geothermal power plant, which supplies electricity and water to about 30,000 people in the region, is located two kilometers west of the eruption site. Some experts have noted signs of possible new swelling of the ground beneath the site, a sign of new magma buildup that could lead to a new volcanic eruption.

Beginning in November, authorities built a protective wall around the site. Discussions are ongoing around the possible construction of a similar barrier to protect Grindavik.

Until March 2021, the Reykjanes Peninsula, south of the capital Reykjavik, had been free of eruptions for eight centuries. Since then, three more have occurred: in March 2021, August 2022 and July 2023, which for volcanologists is a sign of renewed volcanic activity in the region. Thirty-three volcanic systems are considered active in this land of fire and ice, Europe’s most volcanic region.