Lava continues to spew from a volcano in southwestern Iceland that erupted late Monday, but local officials said Tuesday that it “does not present a threat to life.”
After showing signs of unrest for weeks — including periods in which thousands of small earthquakes rattled the region each day — the volcano, on the island’s Reykjanes Peninsula, began belching fountains of lava and sending smoke billowing into the dark sky overnight.
On Tuesday morning, the Icelandic Meteorological Office said the intensity of the eruption was decreasing. Government officials also said lava from the eruption appears to be flowing away from the nearby town of Grindavík, an encouraging sign that homes and other critical infrastructure there may emerge unscathed.
Early estimates suggest that lava flows have slowed to about one-quarter of what they were at the beginning of the eruption, according to the meteorological office. Local officials also said that reconnaissance flights indicated the lava is spewing to a maximum height of around 100 feet (30 meters) — lower than the roughly 300 feet (90 meters) observed at the outset of the eruption.
But it’s too soon to tell what the slowdown really means.
“The fact that the activity is decreasing already is not an indication of how long the eruption will last, but rather that the eruption is reaching a state of equilibrium,” the Icelandic Meteorological Office said in an update online. “This development has been observed at the beginning of all eruptions on the Reykjanes Peninsula in recent years.”
Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir told the Icelandic public broadcaster RUV on Tuesday that authorities are closely monitoring the situation.
“This is a huge eruption,” she said. “We have yet to see how it will develop throughout the day.”
Jakobsdóttir added that lava flows are not currently threatening the town of Grindavík or a nearby power plant.
“But we also know that the flow of lava can change the surrounding…
Read the full article here