Earth cracks open in Iceland: Volcano eruption ends 800-year slumber, sends locals fleeing again

Southwest Iceland woke up to another volcanic eruption before sunrise on Wednesday. At 3:54 am, magma cracked open the earth’s crust on the Reykjanes Peninsula, releasing yellow and orange lava across the dark landscape.

The Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) reported that magma forced open a fissure between 700 and 1,000 metres long. In a statement, the office said, “(It does) not threaten any infrastructure at this time. Based on GPS measurements and deformation signals, it is likely that this was a relatively small eruption.”

Grindavik and spa cleared again
Footage shared online showed lava and thick smoke pouring out near Grindavik and the Blue Lagoon. Police and Iceland’s public broadcaster RUV confirmed people were moved out as a precaution. Grindavik, once home to nearly 4,000 people, emptied out last year when earthquakes and lava made it unsafe. Few have returned since.

Keflavik Airport, Iceland’s main hub near Reykjavik, stayed open. Its website showed no delays. That’s a relief for many who still remember the chaos of 2010 when Eyjafjallajokull erupted, grounding over 100,000 flights and leaving millions stranded.

A region awake after 800 years
What makes Reykjanes unusual is how long it slept before all this began. The peninsula lay dormant for around 800 years. Then, in 2021, magma started pushing through again. Since then, a dozen eruptions have lit up the area’s cracked black rock and mossy plains.

This latest outburst is the ninth since December 2023 alone. Most of them follow the same pattern — sudden seismic swarms shake the ground, magma pushes up, a fissure splits open, lava flows out in bright ribbons.

No ash cloud like 2010
Fissure eruptions like these do not throw up huge ash clouds. That’s why flights carry on, unlike when Eyjafjallajokull erupted in 2010. Back then, a massive plume drifted into Europe’s skies and forced airspace closures for weeks. The IMO said this new fissure does not pose that kind of risk.

Scientists keep watch
Volcanologists are tracking every movement. As reported by Bloomberg, Armann Hoskuldsson at the University of Iceland told local media by phone, “It’s lucky because the eruption is in the most remote part of the area. We are watching the evolution of the eruption.”

He added the region’s new activity is “unusual but not unprecedented”. His expectation? Small eruptions could keep coming for decades.

Iceland sits on the mid-Atlantic ridge where the North American and Eurasian plates pull apart. This creates one of the world’s busiest volcanic hot spots. Glaciers, lava fields and geysers all share the same patch of land.

For locals in Grindavik and those visiting the Blue Lagoon, this means life beside lava is becoming normal again. Fissure eruptions tend to cause damage only if lava reaches roads or buildings. So far, that has not happened.

Scientists say the Reykjanes Peninsula is in a new volcanic cycle. The ground will keep cracking open from time to time. The lava will keep flowing. The people nearby will keep evacuating when needed.

So while Wednesday’s eruption has cooled some fears by staying remote, the threat under the surface remains very much alive.