Volcano erupts in Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula for seventh time in a year

A view of the latest volcanic eruption in Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland, on November 20, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

A volcano erupted with lava spewing from a fissure on the Reykjanes Peninsula in southwestern Iceland on Wednesday evening (November 20, 2024.) It was its seventh eruption since December.

Iceland’s meteorological office that monitors seismic activity said the Wednesday’s (November 20, 2024) eruption occurred at 11:14 p.m. creating a fissure around 3 km (1.8 miles) long, but estimated that the eruption is considerably smaller than the previous eruption in August.

A view of the latest volcanic eruption on the Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland, on November 20, 2024.
| Photo Credit:
AP

While the eruption poses no threat to aviation, authorities are warning of gas across parts of the peninsula, including the nearby town of Grindavik.

The repeated volcanic eruptions close to Grindavík, a town of 3,800 people about 50 km (30 miles) southwest of the capital, Reykjavik, have damaged infrastructure and property and forced many residents to relocate to guarantee their safety. Authorities say the town is not threatened further by this latest eruption.