Thrill-seekers flock to an erupting volcano in Iceland (27 photos + 3 videos)

On December 18, a powerful eruption of the Sundhuka volcano occurred on the Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland. The Internet has already been flooded with stunning footage of this event, captured by thrill-seekers - people are eager to see the seething lava and smoke spewing into the sky with their own eyes, despite warnings about the danger.





The Icelandic Meteorological Office said the eruption occurred near Hagafell, about three kilometers north of the town of Grindavik, home to about 4,000 people.



In a statement on Tuesday (December 19), the Icelandic government informed the public that the crack that opened in the ground from which the lava came out is almost four kilometers long.





This is the fourth eruption in the area since 2021 and the largest to date, the statement said.



An evacuation order was issued for Grindavik and nearby communities last month, banning residents from staying in their homes overnight due to the threat of a volcanic eruption, public broadcaster RÚV reported.



Grindavik, which was previously thought to be in the path of flowing lava, is now free of inhabitants. In addition, the eruption was not considered life-threatening, the Icelandic government said in a statement. However, the area remains closed to traffic and people are urged to stay away from the area.



Even though the lava no longer reaches Grindavík, it reportedly releases quite a lot of toxic gases, the Icelandic Tourism Board said on Tuesday. People are urged to avoid visiting the eruption site while rescue workers and scientists assess the situation.



The eruption is classified as a fissure eruption - it does not usually lead to large explosions and ash emissions into the stratosphere.



Some people were able to get close to the eruption site, ignoring the warnings, and took amazing pictures of Iceland's black night sky tinged with deep orange.



In the first two hours of the eruption, hundreds of cubic meters of lava were ejected per second, according to the Icelandic Meteorological Office. However, by early Tuesday, the intensity of the eruption and the level of seismic activity in the area had decreased, and lava began to spread on either side of the newly opened fissures.



An intense wave of hundreds of earthquakes last month led to a national state of emergency after the Civil Defense Agency reported the formation of a magma tunnel that could reach Grindavik, the broadcaster said.

There are 32 active volcanoes in Iceland



The agency said in a statement: “It is clear that we are dealing with events that Icelanders have not experienced before at least since the Vestmanneyjar eruption.” This refers to the 1973 eruption that began without warning and destroyed 400 houses.

Iceland sits on the boundary of a tectonic plate that is constantly breaking apart, pushing North America and Eurasia apart along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge line. There are 32 active volcanoes in the country. As a result, Iceland "acclimatized" to the eruptions. The Bárdarbunga volcanic system, located in the center of the country, erupted in 2014, releasing lava that covered 84 square kilometers of highland but did not damage populated areas.