For centuries, Iceland’s western volcanic peninsula has been dormant, but a new era of volcanic activity could be on the horizon
After an eruption last summer, Dave McGarvie, a volcanologist at Lancaster University, toldthat the recent uptick in volcanic activity, “... could herald the start of decades of occasional eruptions.”
A lava flow smolders, glowing red through black volcanic rock. While the Icelandic government has warned that this latest eruption is hazardous to visitors, the region is a popular destination for volcanic tourism.Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.The Reykjanes Peninsula lies about 17 miles southwest of Iceland’s capital city Reykjavik.
An aerial view shows the new volcanic eruption at Litli Hrútur. Geological changes normally take thousands of years, but here at the volcano, where new land is forming, the earth changes rapidly as fissures open up, and molten lava spills across the landscape.Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.
Nevertheless, as earthquakes began to crescendo in both frequency and strength from late 2019 onwards, scientists suspected that an eruption sometime in the future seemed inevitable. That was confirmed inon March 19, 2021, when lava began gushing from a 1,650-foot-long fissure in a valley of the Geldingadalur region.
These ferocious fires are gifting scientists with an unparalleled look at the connective tissue between the igneous abyss below and the lava-licked landscape above. Their efforts help improve our understanding of Earth’s viscera, of Iceland’s volcanic cadence, and of this peninsula’s volcanic dangers.hereAn aerial view of the main cinder cone that has formed from the 2023 Fagradalsfjall Volcano eruption in Iceland. Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.