Drone image of new eruption – Ragnar Visage.
** Blog written on July 11th, one day after the eruption – at 16.00 hours. Updates to follow!
Well, here we go again! A new volcanic eruption has started in Iceland! With the eruption only one day old, social media is awash with maps, images and situation reports. This blog has collated some of the initial reactions to the new eruption – but the situation is going to be dynamic and fast-moving over the next few days.
Where Is It?
The new activity is near to the eruption sites of Geldingadalir and Meradalir from 2021-22 on the Reykjanes peninsula. It is centred just north of the 2021 and 2022 eruption sites, close to a small volcano that has the quaint name of ’Litli Hrutur’ or ‘Little Ram’.
Reykjanes peninsula map showing new eruption site.
Map of new eruption site. Image – RUV.is
Map of new eruption site. Image – Jaimie S Sincioco
Map of new eruption site. Image – @shakper. Blue line represents magma tunnel, red represents eruption, dotted line represents probable direction of flow
Image – Iceland Met Office. Blue represents magma, red represents the dyke intrusion, red dots represent vents.
Background to the ‘Little Ram’ Eruption
For around 800 years, there haven’t been any eruptions in this area. But at the end of 2020, a multitude of earthquakes began to shake the whole Reykjanes peninsula. Eruption sites then opened up at Geldingadalir in 2021 and at neighbouring Meradalir in 2022 (see earlier blogs on this site). These seem to represent pre-cursors to further similar eruptions, starting with the present one at Little Ram. It is quite likely that this trend will continue, with the area experiencing a series of eruptions over future decades or perhaps even the next 400 years or so. There are already a number of cone-shaped ‘volcano hills’ on the Reykjanes peninsula, but the presence of an extensive underground plumbing system of fissures means the landscape of this area will face continual change, as each new eruption adds a fresh coat of lava paint to the older flows already here.
In June 2023, a steady uplift (land rise) had been measured across the whole Reykjanes peninsula since early April. While the uplift of over 2 centimetres (around one inch) indicated that magma was collecting below the surface of the peninsula, there were still no indications if or when it would breach the surface. In early July, an earthquake swarm began on the peninsula, a larger one than that taking place before 2021-22. This culminated in an M5.2 earthquake on the evening of July 9th – perhaps this was the ‘open the door’ high magnitude ‘quake that was needed to bring the aggressive intrusion of magma to the surface. The eruption actually began on the following day. This pattern of uplift followed by a period of strong earthquakes and then finally an eruption mirrored the 2021 and 2022 eruptions.
Earthquake swarm at Kelir before the eruption.
Kelir earthquake map before the eruption.
Earthquake swarm. Image – Lava Centre
What Happened On July 10th?
The eruption officially started at 4:40 PM on July 10, 2023. Magma had been reported as getting closer and closer to the surface, meaning it was just a question of where it would break through. It is believed to be coming from the same dyke that fed the last eruptions – but this time spreading out a bit more. The eruption is a fissure eruption that opened exactly where experts had predicted it would: between Litli-Hrútur and Mt. Keilir, just north of the 2021 and 2022 eruption sites. When magma gets very close to the surface, it makes the crust behave a bit like potty putty, pulling apart but without dramatically snapping. As is typical for fissure eruptions, its activity was most intense when it began, extending for some 900 metres. Even after such a short time (to date), activity has since decreased.
Earthquake activity has also slowed dramatically. The early spike in earthquakes represented a change from the gradual opening of the rift at the plate boundary to it rapidly pulling apart. This created an empty space that magma flowed in to fill. There is currently just a background hum of seismic tremors – but things can change quickly.
The current eruption is deemed to be a safe one – often described as a tourist eruption. There is no explosive eruption, and an absence of ash. No inhabited areas or infrastructure are currently threatened by lava flow from the eruption, but gas pollution is a significant risk, both at the site and across the Reykjavík capital area. The nearby town of Grindavik experienced some immediate problems from gas emissions, but this danger has recently passed. Air traffic from both Keflavik International Airport and Reykjavik Domestic Airport remain unaffected.
A couple of interesting facts;
- It has been 323 days since the 2022 eruption –between the eruptions of 2021 to and 2022, there was 319 days.
- This eruption is estimated to be ten times larger than the 2021 eruption, and three times larger than the Meradalir eruption.
Images of the Little Ram eruption
Drone image from early in the eruption. Image – icelandfpv.is
The first fissure opening. Image – Juergen Marz
New fissure with Kelir in the background. Image – shots.am
Image – Vilhelm Gunnarsson
Litli Hrutur from the University of iceland in Reykjavik. Image – Ben Hennig
What Do We Do Now?
Be patient!
Wait and see!
Roads next to the site were immediately closed by the authorities to control access. Civilians have been asked to stay away from the eruption site and consult the most up-to-date information about access to the eruption site by checking with the Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management, either on their website or Facebook page.
There are a number of concerns that will need to be addressed before tourists and sightseers can visit the area – particularly:
- It is not known how the volcano will behave – so new fissures could open up at any time in any place
- There is a risk of gas emissions, especially in low-lying areas. Information on air quality in Iceland is available at loftgaedi.is.
- When the earthquake swarm was building, there was a worry about falling rocks and landslides in the area
- The volcano is a long hike from current path links, so authorities will need to consider how safe access can be provided for visitors
Clear up to the moment information is available on the Iceland met office site – http://www.vedur.is and also the Safe travel site – www.safetravel.is
What Happens Next?
There are so many questions that are currently impossible to answer:
- How much lava will be emitted?
- How fast will the lava flow?
- In what direction will the lava flow?
- Will the activity focus in on one single crater?
- Where will new fissures open up?
- What effects will there be on the human population?
In the scale of things, this eruption is relatively small – but it could last a long time. While the 2022 Reykjanes eruption lasted just short of three weeks, the 2021 eruption lasted around six months.
The Litli-Hrútur eruption is behaving like many others in Iceland – it started very powerfully, and the flow was the highest at first, but then it began to decrease. At the time of writing, activity has decreased significantly. As the fissure closes, the turbulence subsides and there is less force in the eruption and less pollution.
“It’s like there’s a tank that’s been under pressure, and then when that’s reduced, there’s going to be a constant flow and there’s no way to tell how long this will last.” We have to see what happens. Hard to predict the future in particular.” (Magnús Tumi)
In other words, it is like the action of shaking a soda bottle. At first, the bottle erupts all over the place, but then the liquid reaches equilibrium.
The lava appears to be heading south, but is thickening and not spreading much. This is a very slow process and it may be months before it approaches any road, if at all.
Watch this space for further updates!
Useful Links
https://www.ruv.is/english/2023-07-11-eruption-on-reykjanes-the-latest-387570
(Rolling update on the eruption from RUV Iceland)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5CDKebcleU
(You Tube footage ‘waiting for the eruption to begin’)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1TRz-GGgbU
(You Tube link to drone live stream of first day of eruption)
(National Geographic article about future volcanic activity in Iceland)
https://wakelet.com/wake/CsK2Da9-HoE4MSouM5IO0
(Wakelet page of resources and links curated by ‘Discover the World’ and regularly updated)
Devon Geography 