Iceland's South-Western Volcano Erupts Again, Triggering Evacuation of Blue Lagoon Area

A series of volcanic eruptions occurred near the town of Grindavik, Iceland, with the latest event being the most vigorous to date. The eruption began on May 30 and has been ongoing for at least two days, spewing lava up to 50 meters (165 feet) into the air and extending a fissure 3.5 kilometers (2.1 miles) in length. The initial earthquakes that preceded the eruption were located north of Grindavik, which had been largely evacuated in December. Barriers have been built to protect the town from the flowing lava, but two roads leading to the area have been cut off.

A fissure opened up near Sundhnuksgigar on the Reykjanes peninsula, resulting in an eruption that shot molten rock up to 50 meters high. The nearby town of Grindavik, with a population of around 4,000 residents, was largely evacuated in November as a precautionary measure. According to reports, the eruption began following earthquakes and lava is shooting about 50 meters into the sky from a fissure approximately one kilometer long. This marks the fifth eruption on the peninsula since December. The Blue Lagoon spa, a popular tourist destination, has been evacuated as a precautionary measure.