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Iceland has declared a state of emergency after a volcano erupted for the fourth time since December on the Reykjanes Peninsula, spewing bright orange lava high into the air.
The eruption has sent fountains of molten rock soaring from a 3km long fissure, with lava now flowing just a few hundred metres from Grindavik, which was first evacuated back in November.
The powerful lava stream has threatened the region’s main water pipe and is just 200m away, the Icelandic Met Office (IMO) said. The water pipe is close to the Svartsengi power plant, a geothermal power plant that provides hot water to most of the peninsula.
The IMO head warned of “dangerous” consequences of lava possibly reaching the sea if it flows southward.
Residents of the fishing town of Grindavik have once again been evacuated from the area, having received text messages telling them to leave with just a few minutes notice.
Iceland’s civil defence director, Vídir Reynisson, said the main concern is the impact on infrastructure and expressed concerns about pools of lava accumulating near volcano defences.
Drone shots show eruption last night as authorities claim no activity on northern crack
Drone photos taken last night of the stormy activity seen in the southern areas around the abandoned town of Grindavik.
Authorities claim there is no visible activity on the crack on the north side, the pictures are shot from north to south.
New map shows danger zone if lava reaches sea
Icelandic authorities have planned a new danger zone if lava rushing at 12mph last night manages to reach the sea.
Experts think it is unlikely that lava will reach the sea because it would take two days at current speeds.
A government spokesman added: “As volcanic eruptions continue, it is nevertheless important to be prepared for this scenario as the conditions that could arise are life-threatening to those within the affected area.”
Watch video of lava gushing
Live streams set up as the volcano was first due to erupt last year captured stunning visuals of a river of lava gushing on the Reykjanes Peninsula.
It is the fourth eruption since December on the peninsula.
Huge volcano erupts again in Iceland spewing bright orange lava into the air
Lava close to Svartsengi plant but power remains uninterrupted
Officials said that Svartsengi power plant is fully operational despite the lava coming close and stopping 200 metres from its high-voltage lines and the hot-water pipes.
Kristinn Harðarson, CEO of production at HS Orka, told mbl.is. that the “lava tongue that came there stopped a bit from the high-voltage lines and our hot water pipeline, so there was no impact on those pipelines”.
“Svartsengi is fully operational and there is no interruption due to the eruption. Likewise, all the pipelines from the power plant are safe,” he said.
“We took such preventive measures to ensure electricity security in the power plant and therefore we had to take electricity off Grindavík for a short period because of that.”
Huge volcano erupts again in Iceland spewing bright orange lava into the air
Volcano barriers working to deflect lava flow
Man-made barriers are working in slowing down the rate of lava flow and steering it away from key infrastructure.
Halldor Geirsson, associate professor at the Institute of Earth Sciences at the University of Iceland, said: “The rate of the lava flow is getting lower and lower.”
“Most of the flow is going east of the town towards the sea, so it looks like the barriers are doing the job they were designed for.”
He said that the lava flow was quite energetic, and there was a lot of material coming out.
Iceland‘s Meteorological Office said the eruption opened a fissure in the earth about two miles long between the mountains of Stora-Skogfell and Hagafell.
It said on Sunday that lava is flowing south and south-east at about 0.6mph, and might reach the sea. Defensive barriers have been built to stop it from inundating the main road along the peninsula’s southern coast.
Iceland volcano erupts for fourth time since December
Powerful lava flows from a volcano in southwest Iceland have forced authorities to declare a state of emergency.
The eruption began on Saturday for the fourth time since December along the Reykjavik peninsula, near the abandoned town of Grindavik.
The lava flows have threatened critical infrastructure in the region, with authorities monitoring lava gathering near defences and threatening a pipeline.
“The eruption was quite energetic, and there was a lot of material coming out, more than in the previous eruption. So lava was flowing quite fast,” Halldor Geirsson, associate professor at the Institute of Earth Sciences at the University of Iceland told Reuters.
The Icelandic Met Office said on Saturday night that the fissure had opened as livestreams of the event showed fountains of lava spewing into the sky.
“Warning: An eruption began in Reykjanes,” the Icelandic Meteorological Office said on its website. Reykjavik’s nearby Keflavik Airport’s website showed it remained open both for departures and arrivals.
Welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of the Iceland volcano eruption, the fourth on the Reykjanes Peninsula since December.
Source: independent.co.uk
