𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

The eruption prompted fresh evacuations from the nearby town of Grindavík. However, the town has been almost empty for months.

Authorities first ordered a full evacuation of the town in November 2023 after seismic activity and land deformation signalled a high risk of magma movement beneath the area.

A fissure eruption in December caused structural damage to roads and buildings. Subsequent eruptions in January and February 2024 led to further destruction, including the collapse of homes and the death of one person due to ground cracking.

Although some residents briefly returned during calmer periods, the area has remained largely off-limits.

Iceland’s Blue Lagoon geothermal spa and nearby Grindavík were evacuated early today after Sundhnúkur volcano reactivated.

Civil defence teams have evacuated hotel guests, campers, and residents as a precaution, officials said.

The Blue Lagoon resort is one of the most luxurious and renowned hotels in the region, famous for its geothermal spa.

The eruption came from a 700–1,000 m fissure on the Reykjanes Peninsula.

Officials have described this as a small disruption as lava flows southeast, away from key infrastructure. However, this marks the 12th eruption in the region since 2021, part of a prolonged volcanic cycle that could last decades.

The eruption near Sundhnúkur crater is the 12th since volcanic activity reawakened on the Reykjanes Peninsula in 2021, ending nearly 800 years of geological silence in the region. Here’s a quick look at the most recent eruptions in the same system:

• Dec 2023: A powerful fissure eruption near Hagafell led to the first full evacuation of Grindavík and triggered widespread ground deformation.
• Jan 2024: Lava breached defences, destroying homes and killing one person in a ground collapse.
• Feb 2024: A short but intense eruption cut off hot-water pipelines, causing major disruption in the region.
• Mar–May 2024: The longest and most voluminous eruption so far, lasting 54 days and producing 35 million cubic metres of lava.
• May–June 2024: Another eruption followed, keeping the region under continuous alert.
• Nov–Dec 2024: Lava reached the Blue Lagoon car park during a fissure event, prompting mass evacuations once again.

Iceland sits directly on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates are pulling apart.

This geological hotspot fuels regular volcanic and seismic activity. The Reykjanes Peninsula, now erupting again, had been dormant for 800 years before reawakening in 2021.

A volcano on Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula erupted again on Wednesday, spewing lava and smoke in what officials say is the twelfth eruption in the region since 2021.

The eruption prompted fresh evacuations from the nearby town of Grindavík, a luxury hotel, and the popular Blue Lagoon spa, Icelandic authorities said.

The Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) said magma pushed through the earth’s crust, opening a fissure estimated to be between 700 and 1,000 metres long.

The latest eruption is part of a broader pattern of seismic activity that reawakened the Reykjanes Peninsula in 2021 after centuries of dormancy. Since then, the area has seen repeated volcanic events, with fissure eruptions now becoming a near-annual phenomenon.

Experts say Iceland is now in a new volcanic cycle, with magma expected to keep surfacing in the region for years or even decades.