A volcano in southwest Iceland exploded on Wednesday, sending out red rivers of hot liquid rock. It forced the evacuation of the famous Blue Lagoon spa.
The eruption started in the afternoon after some earthquakes near a town called Grindavik. The town has 3,800 people and they were all asked to leave.
The Met Office says that lava is shooting up to 50 meters (165 feet) into the sky from a crack in the ground that is about one kilometer (1,100 yards) long.
The Blue Lagoon spa was cleared out before the volcano started to erupt, according to RUV, the national broadcaster.
Iceland is a country in the North Atlantic that has a lot of volcanoes. They have eruptions often and they know how to handle them well. The biggest problem recently was when the Eyjafjallajokull volcano erupted in 2010. It sent a lot of ash into the sky and caused many airports in Europe to close.
The most recent eruptions show that the Svartsengi volcano is waking up after being quiet for almost 800 years. We don’t know when the activity will stop or what it means for the Reykjanes Peninsula, which is one of the most crowded parts of Iceland.
Tag: volcano
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Southwest Iceland volcano begins to erupt once again
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Houses in Iceland town catch fire as lava flows in
Houses in the town of Grindavik in Iceland were caught on fire because two cracks in the ground caused by a volcano.
A volcano erupted on the Reykjanes peninsula early on Sunday, and lava flowed into the nearby fishing town.
According to one expert, the eruption is turning out to be the worst possible situation, and everyone in the town is being forced to leave.
Defences made after a volcano eruption in December have somewhat stopped the lava, but some have been broken through.
The road into the town is blocked by flowing lava. On Monday, the Icelandic government said the hot liquid rock has started to flow slower.
Iceland’s President Gudni Johannesson spoke to the country on live TV on Sunday night. He asked everyone to come together and show kindness to those who can’t be at home.
He said he wanted things to calm down, but anything could happen. This was reported by the AFP news agency.
A big earthquake happened before the Svartsengi volcano erupted in December. In the weeks that followed, walls were constructed around the volcano to guide the hot liquid rock away from Grindavik, where about 4,000 people live.
The Icelandic weather office said the walls were broken in some places, and now lava has reached the town and set houses and buildings on fire.
Flights were not affected by the volcano eruption, both within the country and to other countries. The aviation colour code for the Reykjanes peninsula was orange on Monday morning. This means there is an ongoing eruption but there is not a lot of ash coming out.
Flights from Keflavik Airport nearby were running as usual.
People who had gone back to live in Grindavik, in the southwest of Iceland, after the last volcano eruption, had to leave their homes again.
“Watching your house burn on TV is really hard,” said Unndpr Sigurthsson, whose family lost their home. She said her family had to leave most of their things when they were told to leave quickly, so they only had clothes and things they really needed.
Volcano expert Evgenia Ilyinskaya said on BBC Breakfast that the peninsula will probably have a lot of volcanic eruptions soon, called the New Reykjanes Fires.
Professor Ilyinskaya said that volcanic eruptions could happen every few months or once a year for many decades or even centuries.
The Reykjanes Fires were a lot of big volcanic eruptions that happened on the peninsula in the 12th Century.
Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir said the government will have a meeting on Monday to talk about how to help the people who had to leave their homes.
“Today is a sad day for Grindavik and for all of Iceland, but things will get better,” she said.
“We will face this surprise together, and we will handle whatever happens next. ” We are thinking of you and sending our best wishes.
The alert level in the country is now at its highest, which means there could be a danger to people, communities, property, or the environment.
Sunday’s explosion is the fifth one to happen along the Reykjanes peninsula since 2021.
Iceland is located on a big crack in the Earth’s crust where two huge pieces of the Earth’s surface meet. Iceland has 33 volcanoes that are still active. -
Volcano Erupts on Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula after earthquake
After a period of heightened earthquake activity, a volcano has erupted on the Reykjanes peninsula in southwest Iceland.
Approximately 4,000 people were evacuated from the fishing town of Grindavik, and the nearby Blue Lagoon geothermal spa was closed as a precautionary measure.
The Icelandic Met Office reported that the eruption commenced north of the town at 22:17 local time (22:17 GMT). The region around the capital, Reykjavik, has been experiencing increased seismic activity since late October.
Situated approximately 4km (2.5 miles) northeast of Grindavik, the eruption’s seismic activity was progressing towards the town. Social media posts captured images and videos of lava spewing from the volcano shortly after a series of seismic events were detected.
The eruption is visible from Reykjavik, located about 42km (26 miles) northeast of Grindavik. Witnesses reported a red glow illuminating half of the sky in the town’s direction, accompanied by billowing smoke.
Authorities have issued warnings for people to stay away from the affected area. The volcanic crack spans about 3.5km, and the lava is flowing at a rate ranging from 100 to 200 cubic metres per second, significantly exceeding previous eruptions on the Reykjanes peninsula in recent years.
A senior police officer at the Civil Defence described the eruption as a rapid and substantial event. Vidir Reynisson reported that lava appeared to be streaming in all directions from a large crack in the volcano.
Iceland’s foreign minister, Bjarni Benediktsson said on X, formerly Twitter, that “there are no disruptions to flights to and from Iceland, and international flight corridors remain open”.
“The jets [of lava] are quite high, so it appears to be a powerful eruption at the beginning,” he said.
After weeks of heightened alert, Iceland faces a potential volcano eruption, prompting the precautionary evacuation of Grindavík last month.
As of 08:00 GMT, no injuries have been reported. In 2010, the Eyjafjallajokull eruption caused major European airspace closures, resulting in significant economic losses.
Volcanologist Dr Evgenia Ilyinskaya noted that the current situation is unlikely to cause similar disruption, as the southwest Iceland volcanoes lack the capacity for extensive ash clouds.
Dr Ilyinskaya, speaking from Iceland, highlighted the anticipation and concerns of local residents regarding the impending eruption.
“There was a lot of uncertainty. It was a difficult period of time for local people,” she said.
She added that authorities were preparing for potential lava flows that could destroy homes and infrastructure, including the Blue Lagoon, a popular tourist destination.
“At the moment it seems not to be threatening, although it remains to be seen,” she said.
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Volcanic eruption kills eleven hikers in Indonesia
Rescuers say they found eleven hikers dead near the crater of Indonesia’s Marapi volcano after it erupted over the weekend.
Three individuals were saved on Monday. The search for 12 missing people has been stopped because of a small volcanic eruption.
At the time the volcano erupted, there were 75 hikers in the area, but most of them were safely taken away.
Mount Marapi, a volcano in Indonesia, threw ash 3 kilometers (9,800 feet) into the air on Sunday.
Officials have put in place the second-highest alert level and told people not to go within 3km of the volcano.
Abdul Malik, who is in charge of the Padang Search and Rescue Agency, said that the three people who were saved near the crater were “not feeling well and had some burns. ” Forty-nine climbers were saved from the area on Monday. Some of them were also hurt from burns.
On Sunday, a video showed a big cloud of ash from the volcano spreading in the sky, and ash covering cars and roads.
Rescuers helped bring the dead and injured people down the difficult mountain and onto ambulances with loud sirens.
“Some people got burned because it was really hot, and they have been taken to the hospital,” said Rudy Rinaldi, who leads the West Sumatra Disaster Mitigation Agency.
One of the hikers who was saved was in pain and said “God is great” while being carried by a rescuer. This was reported by AFP news agency.
Jodi Haryawan, who speaks for the local team that looks for and saves people, told the news that it would be too risky to keep looking for people while the volcano was erupting.
Mount Marapi is a really tall mountain in Indonesia on an island called Sumatra. It is 2,891 meters (9,485 feet) high.
The Indonesian islands are located in a place where lots of earthquakes and volcanoes happen because the plates under the Earth’s surface come together there. -
Thousands evacuate as Mount Mayon in Philippines explodes
Authorities said that about 13,000 people were evacuated from the southeast of the main island of the Philippines after the country’s most active volcano started spewing lava and sulfuric gas on Sunday.
Due to the risk of rockfalls, landslides, and ballistic debris, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) advised everyone within a 6-kilometer (3.7-mile) radius or “danger zone” of the Mount Mayon volcano to evacuate.
88% of the people residing in the danger zone have been evacuated since the volcano’s alert level was increased to 3 out of 5 on Thursday, and efforts to transfer the remaining people are still ongoing, according to the Philippine Provincial Information Office.
Situated on Luzon island about 330 kilometers (205 miles) southeast of Manila, Mayon is one of the world’s most active volcanoes.
Images showed families in Albay province carrying children and their belongings, boarding trucks and military vehicles and taking shelter at evacuation centers in local schools.
Phivolcs warned that a “hazardous eruption is possible within weeks or even days” after detecting a “relatively high level of unrest” at the volcano.
Within the past 24 hours, the Mayon Volcano Network recorded 21 weak volcanic earthquakes, and 260 rockfalls, as well as lava flow activity from the crater, according to Phivolcs.
The agency also detected three pyroclastic density currents – hot, fast-moving flows of ash, hot gases and debris that rush down volcanic slopes – and warned of possible ashfall on the south side of the volcano.
Albay province was placed under a state of calamity on Friday allowing the government to release response funds to support affected residents, CNN affiliate CNN Philippines reported.
Speaking to CNN Philippines, Phivolcs director Teresito Bacolcol said they were closely monitoring the situation at the volcano and could raise the alert level to 4 if there is an increase in volcanic earthquakes and inflation of the volcano’s edifice.
Bacolcol said there was an effusive eruption Sunday night with lava flows observed to reach 500 meters (1,640 feet) from the volcano’s summit.
“Lava flows are slow moving and effusive eruptions are generally less violent and produce less ash and volcanic gases than explosive eruptions,” he told CNN Philippines.
Dramatic photos taken at night showed glowing rivers of molten lava spewing from the top of the volcano and scattering down its sides.
Philippine authorities also evacuated 10,000 farm animals, including cows, goats and pigs threatened by the volcanic eruption, to feeding camps and shelters outside the danger zone.
Mount Mayon last violently erupted in 2018, displacing thousands of villagers and coating nearby towns in thick layers of ash.
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Mount Semeru: Volcano erupts on Java island, raising alert level in Indonesia
Indonesia’s Mount Semeru volcano has erupted, spewing ash into the sky and forcing evacuations on the country’s main island, Java.
The volcano’s warning level was raised to the highest level, indicating that its activity had increased.
Although no injuries have been reported, nearly 2,000 people have been evacuated from the area surrounding the volcano.
As “hot avalanches” of lava poured from Semeru, people were advised to stay at least 8 kilometres (5 miles) away.
The threat level has been raised from three to four, which means the danger now threatens people’s homes, according to a spokesman for Indonesia’s Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG).
According to the organisation, a bridge that was being rebuilt following a previous eruption had been severely damaged.
Volcanic ash mixed with monsoon rain was falling on nearby villages and 1,969 people, including children and seniors, had been evacuated, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) said.
At least six villages had been affected, it added.
IMAGE SOURCE,REUTERS Image caption, Residents of six villages were evacuated by rescuers Videos of the event showed the sky turning black as a massive plume of ash blocked the sunlight.
Japan issued a tsunami warning for its southernmost islands after the eruption, but meteorologists said no tidal changes had been observed.
Mount Semeru, in East Java province, began erupting at about 02:46 local time (19:46 GMT), authorities said.
Indonesia sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” where tectonic plates collide, causing frequent volcanic activity as well as earthquakes.
Semeru – also known as “The Great Mountain” – is the highest volcano in Java at 3,676m (12,060ft) and one of the most active. Its last erupted exactly one year ago, killing at least 50 people and leaving streets filled with mud and ash.
The eruption also follows a series of earthquakes on the west of Java island, located about 640 km (400 miles) east of Indonesia’s capital Jakarta, including one last month that killed more than 300 people.
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Hawaii: World’s largest volcano, erupts for the first time in decades
Mauna Loa on the archipelago’s Big Island began erupting late Sunday, putting emergency crews on high alert.
Authorities say Mauna Loa, Hawaii’s largest active volcano, has erupted for the first time in nearly four decades, causing volcanic ash and debris to fall nearby.
Lava flows remained contained within Mauna Loa’s summit caldera in the US island state, but the eruption could pose a threat to nearby residents if conditions change, the US Geological Survey reported at 11:45 p.m. Sunday (09:45 a.m. Monday), about 15 minutes after the eruption in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
“At this time, lava flows are contained within the summit area and are not threatening downslope communities,” the Geological Survey said on its website, noting that locals on the Big Island of Hawaii should review preparedness procedures.
While the eruption on the main island of the Pacific state remains confined within the basin at the top of the volcano, “if the eruptive vents migrate outside its walls, lava flows may move rapidly downslope,” according to the Geological Survey.
Hours later on Monday morning, the survey’s volcano monitoring office tweeted: “Lava does seem to have flowed outside the caldera, but for now the eruptive vents remain confined to the caldera.”
Mauna Loa began to erupt at 11:30 PM HST on Sunday. The eruption is currently confined to the summit, and there is no indication that magma is moving into either rift zone. HVO is closely monitoring. Follow @USGSVolcanoes for updates. Find webcams here: https://t.co/PCmuqZqpcB pic.twitter.com/dv6vJBsASo
— USGS (@USGS) November 28, 2022
“However, lava flows in the summit region are visible from Kona,” the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said in a statement. “There is currently no indication of any migration of the eruption into a rift zone.”
A rift zone is where the mountain splits apart. The rock is cracked and relatively weak, and it’s easier for magma to emerge.
How long the volcano erupts and whether it could cause lava to flow to populated areas is impossible to predict, said Miel Corbett, a Geological Survey spokeswoman.
“But I can tell you, we’re in constant communication right now with Hawaii Civil Defense, and they’re providing updates to community members,” she said.
The Geological Survey said the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory was in consultation with emergency management personnel and its staff would conduct an aerial reconnaissance over the 4,168-metre (13,674-foot) volcano as soon as possible.
Hawaii authorities said no evacuation orders have been given although the summit area and several roads in the region have been closed.
A Geological Survey webcam on the Mauna Loa summit’s north rim showed long, bright eruptive fissures within the crater.
Portions of the Big Island were under an ashfall advisory issued by the National Weather Service in Honolulu, which said up to 0.6 centimeters (a quarter-inch) of ash could accumulate in some areas.
The Hawaiian islands are home to six active volcanoes. Mauna Loa, the largest on Earth, has erupted 33 times since 1843, according to the Geological Survey.
The most recent eruption, in 1984, lasted 22 days and produced lava flows that came within seven kilometres (four miles) of Hilo, a city with a population of 44,000 people today.
Last month, scientists said Mauna Loa was in “a state of heightened unrest” after a series of earthquakes were felt in the area.
Mauna Loa is the much larger neighbour of the Kilauea volcano, which erupted in 2018 and destroyed 700 homes. Some of Mauna Loa’s slopes are much steeper than Kilauea’s, so when it erupts, its lava can flow much faster.
During a 1950 eruption, the mountain’s lava travelled 24 kilometres (15 miles) to the ocean in less than three hours.
The effects of the eruption of the Mauna Loa volcano on the island of Hawaii is shown in this March 25, 1984, handout photo provided by the US Geological Survey [File: US Geological Survey/Handout via Reuters] -
Fire consumes a section of Kenya’s Mount Longonot
A fire outbreak has consumed hectares of bushland in Kenya’s Mount Longonot, which is a popular destination for hikers in the Rift Valley region.
The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) says in a statement that it put out the fire that began on Thursday.
KWS refuted rumours circulating on social media that there had been a volcanic eruption, and said it wanted to “assure that the park is safe to all visitors”.
The mountain, which is a dormant volcano, has been one of the most talked about topics on Twitter, with some users claiming they experienced earth tremors as a result of the supposed eruption.
The cause of the fire on the mountain has not yet been established.
Last year, a similar outbreak of fire reduced a portion of vegetation in the park to ashes.
Source: BBC
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Journey to climb Russian volcano: Eight die, survivors evacuated
Authorities in the area report that survivors of an eight-person climbing trip on Eurasia’s tallest volcano have been rescued by rescuers.
The deceased was part of a group of 12 individuals, including two guides, who have been climbing Klyuchevskaya Sopka in the northeastern Kamchatka peninsula region of Russia since August 30, Russian state news agency, RIA Novosti, said. A rescue group began climbing to reach the survivors Monday, Russia’s Ministry of Civil Defense, Emergencies and Disaster Relief told state media.At 4,750 meters (15,580 feet), Klyuchevskaya Sopka is one of the world‘s highest active volcanos.The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations reported that as of Tuesday morning the survivors had been transported by helicopter to the nearest village, Klyuchi, in the Ust-Kamchatka district. RIA Novosti noted that one of the survivors had contacted frostbite by the time rescuers reached them.According to local media, the plan is to ultimately evacuate the survivors to Petropavlovsk on a Regional Center of Disaster Medicine plane.Izvestiya, one of Russia’s main daily newspapers, reported that some of the rescue groups remained on the volcano after the survivors were evacuated. The remaining rescuers will decide on how to evacuate the dead bodies, located at a height of 4158 meters (13,641 feet) after the weather forecast is determined.Conditions on the volcano are treacherous and unpredictable, with strong winds, bitterly cold temperatures, and snow at high altitudes.Previous search and rescue attempts to reach the trapped individuals were unsuccessful, as strong winds prevented a helicopter from landing on the volcano Sunday, a day after five members of the group fell to their deaths. By Monday morning, three more had died, Russian Deputy Prime Minister of Kamchatka Roman Vasilevsky told RIA Novosti.The Minister of Emergency Situations for the region where the volcano is located has opened an information hotline for relatives of the climbing party, a spokesperson told RIA Novosti.“Relatives can find out information about the progress of search and rescue operations, as well as, if necessary, get psychological help,” the ministry’s press service said.A criminal case has been initiated to look into the cause of the deaths, RIA Novosti reported.