A volcanic eruption in southwestern Iceland appears to have subsided, although scientists warn the area could see more eruptions in the coming months.
The Icelandic Meteorological Office said late Thursday that the eruption had subsided significantly.
VOLCANIC ERUPTION IN ICELAND JUST MILES FROM THE CAPITAL CAUGHT IN AN INCREDIBLE VIDEO
The eruption began around 6 a.m. local time on Thursday in the area northeast of Mount Sýlingarfell, the Meteorological Office said. It prompted the evacuation of the popular Blue Lagoon thermal spa and cut off heating and hot water to several communities on the Reykjanes peninsula, in the southwestern corner of the island.
Lava creeps along the main road towards Grindavík, Iceland, on February 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Marco Di Marco)
“Although the eruption has subsided significantly, it is still too early to declare whether it has come to an end,” the Meteorological Office said on Friday, which said it was keeping a close watch on the area.
Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir said authorities hope to restore hot water to the area before noon on Friday, national broadcaster RUV reported.
The eruption site is about 4 kilometers northeast of Grindavík, a coastal town of 3,800 that was evacuated before a previous eruption on December 18. The city was not threatened by Thursday's eruption.
Benedikt Ófeigsson, a geophysicist at the Icelandic Meteorological Office, told RUV that an eruption can be expected in the area approximately every month for the next few months.
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“In the long term, it's very difficult to say, but in the short term, in the coming months, we will probably continue to see repeated intrusions and eruptions of magma,” he said.
