The molten rock that has been increase beneath southwest Iceland has erupted in spectacular fountains of lava.
A gash two miles lengthy has opened up on the Reykjanes peninsula, spewing between 100 and 200 cubic metres of lava each second. That’s excess of in different current eruptions within the space.
Incredible footage exhibits spewing lava – reside updates
There had been a chronic pause within the volcanic rumblings.
It’s 5 weeks since 4,000 folks have been evacuated from the close by fishing city of Grindavik in the midst of the evening after an intense swarm of earthquakes.
But 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.
The lava is at the moment flowing about half a mile an hour north and west, away from the city, which is little greater than a mile from the southern finish of the eruption.
But the rip within the Earth has been extending and if it reaches a south-facing slope then the city might be in danger.
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What is occurring beneath the volcano’s floor?
The Svartsengi energy station, which supplies electrical energy to 1000’s of houses, additionally appears to be protected for now. The authorities have been constructing a wall of rock and dust to guard the power from any lava movement.
According to the Icelandic Met Office, the seismic and GPS information suggests the eruption has eased because the evening has progressed. But that does not imply will probably be a short-lived burst of volcanic exercise.
It’s probably that the huge strain that has pushed the magma in direction of the floor has been lowered.
Scientists will wish to have an in depth have a look at the eruption space in daylight to get a greater thought of what is going on on.
The authorities had loads of warning this might occur and folks have been moved out of hurt’s means.
It is now a matter of simply letting nature take its course.
Source: information.sky.com”