Daniel is a copywriter who has well and truly been bitten alive by the 'travel bug'. After ticking off several North American National Parks and exploring Europe by train, his sights are now set on South East Asia. Usually with at least one camera locked and loaded, you'll find Daniel wherever there are mountains, lakes or beaches.
Icelandic authorities issued a warning, urging tourists and spectators to avoid the vicinity of a recently active volcano that is currently erupting in the southwestern region of the country.
The eruption started on Monday afternoon after thousands of earthquakes shook the area, taking place in an uninhabited valley close to the Litli-Hrútur mountain, around 19 miles from the nation’s capital, Reykjavik.
Known as the Fagradalsfjall volcano, this is not the first time in recent history that an eruption has taken place in the area. Both 2021 and 2022 saw similar eruptions, but no damage or major disruption was caused, despite it being close to Keflavik Airport, Iceland’s international air traffic hub.
Experts claimed this eruption was initially more explosive than the previous two, with aerial footage showing streams of orange molten lava and gas clouds flowing out of the volcano.
Icelandic officials warned the public to stay away from volcanic eruption near Grindavik. Authorities said there are no current risks to communities or infrastructure, but have restricted public access near the volcano. pic.twitter.com/FLQEf4pkEJ
— Newsweek (@Newsweek) July 11, 2023
“Gas pollution is high around the eruption and dangerous,” the Icelandic Meteorological Office said. “Travelers are advised not to enter the area until responders have had a chance to evaluate conditions.”
Despite the initial fears of a large eruption, it is now believed that the situation is not as grave as first thought. “This has become a small eruption, which is very good news,” University of Iceland geophysics professor Magnús Tumi Guðmundsson told national broadcaster RUV. He said the eruption could “certainly last a long time, but luckily we’re not looking at a continuation of what we saw in the first few hours.”
Sitting above a volcanic hotbed in the North Atlantic, Iceland averages an eruption every four to five years.
A 2010 eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano caused the most upheaval of any recent volcanic activity in the area. With massive clouds of ash polluting the atmosphere, more than 100,000 flights across Europe were grounded, leaving millions of travelers stranded.