Astonishing drone footage has emerged exhibiting each the sweetness and harmful nature of Iceland’s erupted volcano.
A gash two miles lengthy has opened up on the Reykjanes peninsula, spewing between 100 and 200 cubic metres of lava each second.
The erupting lava has now been filmed from above, capturing the burning vibrant molten rock spewing from the earth, earlier than splitting into small tributary-like flows.
Iceland volcano – newest: Warning volcanic eruption might final ‘for months’
Though the lava stream has abated, the Icelandic Met Office says extra magma might but stream from deep inside the earth to gasoline the fireplace fountains and maybe open up new fissures.
Experts say the lava stream might cease over the weekend or subsequent week, or might keep it up at a slower charge for weeks or months.
‘Don’t go to the positioning’
It comes as individuals in Iceland have been advised to remain at house and “get into the Christmas spirit” fairly than try the dangerous journey to the eruption web site.
Hjordis Gudmundsdottir, communications director for Iceland’s civil defence division, advised Icelandic broadcaster RUV that whereas the lava stream has change into much less intense, issues might nonetheless change rapidly.
Ms Gudmundsdottir additionally mentioned groups had spent “a lot of time” turning away individuals making an attempt to achieve the positioning.
She advised RUV that the stroll to the fissure is “particularly difficult” and there’s a danger of individuals falling into cracks within the floor.
It can be higher to do some Christmas purchasing, “get into the Christmas spirit or maybe just have a hot cocoa at home and wrap Christmas presents”, Ms Gudmundsdottir mentioned.
Vidir Reynisson, the top of Iceland’s Civil Protection and Emergency Management, had beforehand warned that the eruption web site was “not a tourist attraction” and warned individuals to steer clear of the realm.
It comes after Icelandic media reported {that a} hiker needed to be rescued after getting misplaced close to the eruption web site final evening.
News web site Iceland Monitor cited coast guard officer Asgeir Erlendsson as saying the person had been discovered secure after a search and delivered to security in a helicopter.
“The helicopter found him and took him back to town,” Mr Erlendsson advised the web site.
“He had become very cold and had left his equipment with a flashlight in another place, which is why it was thought that these were two men.”
‘Definitely lowering’
It is 5 weeks since 4,000 individuals had been evacuated from the close by fishing city of Grindavik in the midst of the evening after an intense swarm of earthquakes.
Seismic exercise petered out within the following days and scientists started to wonder if the magma would solidify and by no means attain the floor.
But on Monday evening there was one other earthquake swarm and the floor ripped open quickly after.
Scientists are utilizing GPS alerts from area to exactly measure the peak of the bottom across the volcanic web site.
It had risen by 35cm in some areas, pushed up by the magma rising from beneath.
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Since the eruption it has slumped again down by 5cm, a sign that a minimum of a number of the stress under floor has been vented.
But the Icelandic Met Office says extra magma might but stream from deep inside the earth to gasoline the fireplace fountains and maybe open up new fissures.
Dr Katie Reeves, a instructing fellow on the University of Warwick, advised Sky News it has been a “really intense but shorter event”.
“The actual lava output is quite significant in this eruption. I believe it’s comparable to the month-long eruption in [July and August] 2023 already in a couple of days,” she mentioned.
The eruption fissure has localised into two “active areas” the place cones at the moment are constructing, Dr Reeves mentioned, although its depth is “definitely reducing”.
“It may continue at this rate. It may also increase in its rate or open up further along the actual fissure system,” Dr Reeves mentioned.
Halldor Geirsson, affiliate professor on the Institute of Earth Sciences on the University of Iceland, added: “It is difficult to see exactly what is going on, but when you get some glimpses through the snow it is obvious that it is just less and less lava flow.”
Mr Geirsson mentioned the eruption might cease over the weekend or subsequent week, or lava flows might keep it up at a slower charge for weeks or months.
The “most likely scenario is that it just stops”, he mentioned.
“But if that happens, the pressure will start building again in the magma chamber, which is likely to trigger another eruption after a few weeks,” he added.
Source: information.sky.com”