So it’s finally started! After a few weeks of earthquake swarms and the propagation of a dyke field on the Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland, it wasn’t to be a long wait before a volcanic eruption followed.
Even Bjork expressed her excitement through her Twitter feed:
At a quarter to nine on the evening of March 20th, an eruption began from several vents along a 200 metre-long fissure in Geldingadalur (Gelding’s Valley) close to Fagradalsfjall Mountain – just 25 km from the capital city of Reykjavik.
Screengrab from panorama view – Iceland 360 VR
The image above is a screen grab from an excellent 360 panorama of the new volcano. Explore it interactively (in VR if you have that facility) at:
https://www.iceland360vr.com/panorama/geldingadalur-volcano/?src=h
As day ran into evening on March 20th, local residents caught their first views of the eruption, as the dark night sky took on a glow of red.
Images (L to r): @rfjolnisson, ruv.is, & @aslaugarna
The early phase of the eruption comprised dramatic fountain jets of lava thrown 100 metres into the air from the line of the fissure, but by morning, most of these had calmed. However, throughout the next day (March 21st), 3 distinct spatter cones developed, and the splashing and exploding molten rock provided a dramatic sight on the excellent live web cam that had been set up to monitor the scene.
The live web cam can be found at:
https://www.ruv.is/frett/2021/03/20/live-feed-from-iceland-volcano
It was fascinating to see the spatter cones grow throughout the day after the eruption, and watch a brand new lava field slowly grow from the centre of the eruption – ocean waves of new red-hot rock flowing over the older 800 year old lava floor below. On the first day of eruptive activity, the new lava had covered over 1 square kilometre of ground, and was around 10 metres deep at its thickest covering. At the beginning, the lava flowed from the fissure at a rate of around 30 to 40 cubic metres per second.
Image: @trawire
Image: @trawire
Image: @BensVolcanology
The Geldingadalur eruption is producing some very dramatic images for us to enjoy from afar:
Image: Coastguard Service
Image: @SkogarFarm
Image; @mblfrettir
Image; ruv.is
Image; Fagrad Runar Geirmundsson
There are some interesting links to follow:
This link takes you to a 30 second time lapse of the early part of the eruption:
https://www.ruv.is/frett/2021/03/20/sjadu-hraunstreymi-dagsins-a-halfri-minutu
This link takes you to a You Tube film taken from the web cam:
These link takes you to some excellent drone footage:
https://www.mbl.is/frettir/innlent/2021/03/20/oll_myndskeidin_af_eldsumbrotunum/
https://www.mbl.is/frettir/sjonvarp/218414/
Mustn’t leave the BBC out!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-europe-56468374BBC
This satellite image comes from the NASA JPSS Program VIIRS Day/Night image – which shows a thermal image of the eruption (along with built up areas in the area). From @simoncarn
The web cam is still in place, and as long as the weather is kind, it is still possible to witness some dramatic eruptive activity. On Sunday, March 21st, it showed the collapse of one side of the main cone, which resulted in lava exiting from two distinct directions. It has also been possible to observe the shift of direction of the lava flow, moving more to the east as the day went on.
Image: @han_volcan
Image: @sub_glacial
In the scheme of things for Iceland, the Geldingadalur eruption remains only a minor eruption with limited activity – a relatively insignificant event when compared to recent Icelandic eruptions like Eyjafjallajokull in 2010 and Holohraun in 2014. It has been described as a typical ‘tourist eruption’ or a ‘tiny soda’ as was reported in one local newspaper. The eruption has been named as ‘Geldingadalsgos’ by Iceland’s media, although the eruption is so small by Icelandic standards, it is perhaps surprising it warrants formal recognition. This eruption will probably be quickly forgotten as just another small piece of geological history unless it develops further as a part of something much bigger.
It could continue for a few days and then slowly peter out as the magma below solidifies. Alternatively, it could rumble on for a number of weeks, or even months, with new vents opening up on the fissure line. A fresh magma dyke might even be formed. It is possible it could sustain for even longer as a period of intermittent volcanic activity, part of a much bigger series of events. This could occur much in the same way that the ‘Reykjanes Fires’ that raged for 200 to 300 years or so in this area back in the thirteenth century, providing 15 eruptions, on average around 20 years apart. The fact of the matter is we just do not know for sure.
What is sure is the present eruption is creating brand new land – the most recent rocks on Planet Earth. The emerging lava field is not expected to travel that far, being confined within a valley like a giant bath tub, but it may become part of a larger area should new vents become active.
Image: @gislio
Image: @RobAskew2
Image: University of Iceland
Whatever does happen, there will be a ‘new’ feature to visit – currently a small lava field and a number of spatter cones – and to show to students. If the eruption continues to be active for a while, there may even be a fantastic introductory view from the windows of incoming flights – what a great way to start a geography field trip! The tweet below repeats a recent announcement made on an arriving flight to Keflavik:
Quite a lot of early air activity over the eruption – although flights 9and drones) have since been banned:
Image: Flight Radar 24 by @mildthing99
If the Reykjanes eruption continues for any length of time, it could provide a boost for Iceland’s tourist industry – in much the same way that Eyjafjallajokull gave a shot in the arm to the country’s income after the financial collapse of 2008.
Image: mbl.is (Kristinn Magnusson)
The eruption has already attracted a number of locals to the scene, and a number of curious visitors could be clearly seen at the edge of the lava field on the live web cam. However, authorities have discouraged visitors at this early stage due to the inherent dangers of the hot rock, falling volcanic bombs, the possibility of new fissures opening up, and the potential danger of toxic gas.
Image: @DJCManns
Cars parked near Grindavik. Image; @mbl.is (Sigurdur Bogi)
The Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management was quick to offer the following instructions to local people:
There is a pretty tough 5 to 6 hour round trip hike required to access the eruption site, and authorities have been concerned about people attempting this trip in the current weather conditions which have brought wind, rain and sleet. There has also been a parking issue around Grindavik (the nearest settlement of any size), so they are trying to persuade people to make use of the web cam as an alternative to trying to get to the site themselves.
The positive consequences of this eruption, bringing a potential boost to the local economy from visitors when Covid restrictions are lifted, are clear – but there has also been a few issues of concern. A fissure eruption of this type has not brought any ash clouds to worry about, and apart from a brief closure at the time of the event, Keflavik airport has remained largely unaffected. Remember, it was the ash cloud from Eyjafjallajokull in 2010 that caused massive disruption to air transport across all of Europe, and even beyond. There has been little effect on infrastructure in the area, although the road from Hafnarfiordur to the airport was closed for a while at the beginning of the eruption.
Image: @DJCManns
There are few local residents to be affected, although those that do have homes close to Fagradalsfjall were advised to stay at home and keep their windows closed to avoid gas emissions from the eruption. Gas emissions have been closely monitored from the first warning signs of surface activity and although there were early concerns about the wind driving the gas cloud towards Reykjavik, these proved not to be a serious issue in the end.
Image: @Ellyinskaya
Image: @Verdurstofan
Image; gos.belgingur.is
What happens next is in the hands of Mother Nature – we will just have to watch carefully, and wait to see. There seems to have been more joy than hardship resulting from the eruption so far, and this couple at least enjoyed the benefit of a volcanic eruption on their doorstep:
I gather the answer to the question was a happy ‘yes’!
There is so much happening at the eruption site right now, it is difficult to know where to stop with this blog entry. I have just seen some tweets informing the public that the area around Fagradalsfjall is currently closed. The weather has closed in, and there is a risk of toxic gas close to the site. People have been struggling with the long hike to to the volcano, and the search and rescue teams have been under severe pressure.
So, I will leave things as they stand right now – and add any other interesting images and resources in a later update. happy volcano watching!
Devon Geography 