Iceland has the longest volcanic eruption in 60 years

“Six months is a reasonably long eruption,” volcanologist Thorvaldur Thordarson said.

Known today as the Fagradalshraun (“beautiful lava valley”), the eruption began as a flow from a crack in the ground and has so far expelled nearly 143 million cubic meters of lava. .

However, the volume is considered relatively small and contains 11 times less lava than another eruption in Iceland, which occurred between 2014 and 2015 in Holuhraun, in the central-eastern part of the island. Although it lasted less than six months, it released the largest lava flow in 230 years in Iceland.

But the last eruption is “Special in the sense that it kept a relatively constant flow rate, so it was quite strong”said Halldor Geirsson, a geophysicist at the Institute of Earth Sciences.

“The usual behavior that we know of volcanoes in Iceland is that they start very active throwing lava, then the flow decreases until it stops.”he explained.

The eruption of Surtsey, near the south coast of Iceland, lasted almost four years, from November 1963 to June 1967. During this time, the lava from Fagradalshraun reappeared in early September after declining in intensity for nine days.

Accompanied by a plume of smoke caused by the release of gas, the glowing liquid now occasionally escapes from the crater and accumulates below the ground, creating flaming tunnels under layers of solidified lava above the ground.

According to the Icelandic Tourist Board, some 300,000 people have walked the steep hills overlooking the valleys of Geldingadalir, Meradalir and Natthagi, where the phenomenon spills over.

A total of 10 cracks opened, all within the first month, and formed seven small craters, but only two of them are still visible. The others were covered with lava launched from the only still active crater.

This crater now measures 334 meters, according to the Institute of Earth Sciences, a few tens of meters shorter than the highest peak in the area.

The volcano shows no signs of weakening anytime soon. “It looks like there is enough magma coming from a reservoir, so this could go on for a long time.”, dijo Geirsson.