The eruption that began on the evening of March 16 is still going at a sustained strength. The eruption, which began as a three kilometre fissure between Hagafell and Stóra Skógfell, has consolidated down to a handful of erupting cones, but the volume of lava flowing southward remains consistent, though it is moving slowly.
According to a risk assessment by the Icelandic Meteorological Office, the hazard level remains very high in the area, specifically in Zone 1, where there are gas emissions and active lava flows, and Zone 4, Grindavík, where the Met Office warns of risk of sinkholes and movement along fault lines. However, since there is no discernible threat of lava overtaking the berms, residents of Grindavík have been cleared to enter the town to tend to their homes and businesses.
Vedur.is
It is the longest-lasting of the four eruptions that have occurred in the area since December. The other eruptions being fed by a magma reservoir beneath Svartsengi began on December 18, 2023; and January 14 and February 8, 2024. Those eruptions lasted between 12 and 48 hours.
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