Volcanic Eruption on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula

A volcanic eruption started Monday night on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula, turning the sky orange and prompting the civil defense to be put on high alert.

The eruption appears to have occurred just under two miles from the town of Grindavík, the Icelandic Meteorological Office said. Webcam video from the scene appears to show magma, or semi-molten rock, spewing along the ridge of a hill.

Iceland's Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management confirmed the eruption shortly after 11 p.m. local time and said it had activated its civil protection emergency response.

"The magma flow seems to be at least a hundred cubic meters per second, maybe more. So this would be considered a big eruption in this area at least," Vidir Reynisson, head of Iceland's Civil Protection and Emergency Management told the Icelandic public broadcaster, RUV.

Iceland's foreign minister, Bjarne Benediktsson said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that there are "no disruptions to flights to and from Iceland and international flight corridors remain open."

"We are monitoring the situation closely," Vincent Drouin, a geophysicist at the Icelandic Meteorological Office, told CBS News, adding that the eruption is "much bigger" and longer than the volcano's previous eruption. 

In November, a town in Iceland called Grindavik was forced to evacuate due to strong seismic activity that damaged homes and raised concerns of a possible volcanic eruption. Numerous earthquakes occurred in Iceland during that month, indicating that magma was rising to the surface. Meteorologists had been warning of a potential volcanic explosion on the Reykjanes Peninsula.

An expert named Drouin stated that the amount of lava produced in the first hour of the eruption would determine if it would eventually reach Grindavik. He also mentioned that a sustained eruption would be highly problematic as it could partially destroy the town. Another concern is a power station in the area, as its damage would impact the water and electricity supply to a large portion of the peninsula.

A coast guard helicopter will be dispatched to confirm the precise location and size of the eruption. Grindavik, a fishing town with a population of 3,400, is situated on the Reykjanes Peninsula, approximately 31 miles southwest of the capital city, Reykjavik. It is also close to Keflavik Airport, which is Iceland's primary international flight facility. The nearby Blue Lagoon geothermal resort, a popular tourist attraction, has been closed until the end of November due to the volcanic threat.

Iceland's Volcanic Activity

Iceland is located above a volcanic hot spot in the North Atlantic and experiences an eruption approximately every four to five years. One of the most disruptive eruptions in recent times occurred in 2010 when the Eyjafjallajokull volcano erupted. This eruption released massive clouds of ash into the atmosphere, leading to the grounding of flights across Europe for several days. The concern was that the ash could potentially damage airplane engines.