The eruptions on the Reykjanes Peninsula had been holding to a pattern of inflation and then a brief eruption. The current activity bucks that with 10 days of eruption and no sign of new inflation.
Vents from the current Sundhnúksgíga eruption near Grindavík in Iceland, seen on March 27, 2024. Credit: Live from Iceland webcam still.volcanic eruptions is that people pay attention when a volcano that hasn't erupted recently erupts; a volcano near people erupts and a new eruption begins where a famous previous eruption occurred.
That's ... different! Instead of the same pattern of inflation on the land surface, a new eruption and repeat, this eruption north of the city has been going strong for days. What's changed?reports that the rates of lava coming out of the ground at Sundhnúksgíga aren't too different than past eruptions in the area. However, what has changed is that magma rising up into the crust does not appear to be stalling on the way to the surface.
Why it has changed is a more difficult to pinpoint. Maybe the conduits that bring magma to the surface have become "primed" by previous eruptions so there are no longer impediments to it making a straight shot. Maybe the feature that the magma is using to reach the surface offers less resistance to eruption. Maybe none of these things.
The hazard for people around Grindavík hasn't changed that much. The lava flows could destroy homes and infrastructure. However, Iceland has build lava flow levees to help divert the flows from the city as best as they can Maps of the lava flows from March 20-26 show how they have mostly been diverted by the walls and levees built to the north and west of Grindavík.
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