A new volcano has erupted in the southwest of the country

This is already the second eruption on the island since the beginning of 2024.

A new volcanic eruption began this Thursday morning, February 8, on the Reykjanes Peninsula in southwest Iceland. This is the third eruption in the region since December 18.

Television images showed red flames with plumes of smoke billowing from the crack. According to public television RUV, “Seismic activity near Fagredalsfjal intensified at 6:20 a.m. (French time) and magma rose to the surface around 7 a.m.

“This morning, a small earthquake started to intensify at 6:30 a.m. (French time) northeast of Silingarfell. About 30 minutes later, an eruption started in the same area,” the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) confirmed.

An explosion that was predicted

“According to the first reports from the Coast Guard surveillance flight, the eruption occurred in the same area as the one on December 18. The fissure is about three kilometers long,” added the IMO, which accurately predicted an imminent new eruption in its latest eruption. report

In two years, no fewer than six volcanoes have erupted in Iceland, the previous one occurring in the early hours of January 14 near Grindavik, a small town of 4,000 inhabitants. The city was evacuated on November 11 as a precautionary measure.

A total of 32 volcanic systems are believed to be active in this land of fire and ice, the most volcanic region in Europe.