How many people live in Iceland and how close is the volcano to Grindavik and other cities?
There are fresh concerns over the fate of Grindavik after a new fissure erupted less than a third of a mile from the village, bypassing the defensive wall.
There are fresh concerns over the fate of Grindavik, Iceland after a new eruption began early Sunday morning. The fissure spewing magma is less than a third of a mile from the fishing village and has bypassed the defensive wall built to protect the enclave. The 100 or so residents that had been allowed in the town were evacuated around 3 am local time.
The settlement, which is on the southern coast of the Reykjanes Peninsula, had been the home to around 4,000 until the ground underneath began to shake violently at the end of October. Fearing an imminent eruption, authorities evacuated all of them and made preparations including building defensive walls to protect it and nearby infrastructure.
The lava finally breached the surface on the night of 18 December as a result of increased seismic activity that had begun around the Fagradalsfjall volcano on 25 October. The 2.5 mile-long opening in the ground was a mere 2 miles from the town.
The eruption released more molten rock and in less time than had been expected. However, the activity quickly subsided and authorities could no longer observe volcanic activity four days later.
“Volcanic activity seems to have come to an end,” the Icelandic meteorological office (IMO) said at the time. “Despite that, it is possible that lava is flowing underneath ... and therefore it is not possible to say that the eruption is over.”
How close is the volcano to Grindavik and other cities?
Grindavik is approximately about 26 miles (42km) from the Icelandic capital of Reykjavik, home to the majority of the nation’s population of 372,000. As mentioned, the threatened village is on the Reykjanes Peninsula, located in the southwest of Iceland.
Besides building defensive walls to protect Grindavik, crews worked to ensure the safety of a nearby geothermal power plant and the popular Blue Lagoon tourist attraction located about 3 miles north of the town. The first lava flow to the east of that area moved south and did not pose a threat. Nor does this eruption but it does pose an imminent threat to Grindavik.