Volcano Takes 16-Hour Break

By now, it is commonly known that the crater in Fagradalsfjall loves some good ol’ drama.

Yesterday, after taking a sixteen-hour break from erupting, it started boiling and spitting again in the evening and might even have found a new rhythm.

The volcano is always open for a surprise

The eruption briefly stopped at five o’clock on Sunday morning. Around nine o’clock that evening, lava was spotted in the crater in Fagradalsfjall again. The Icelandic Meteorological Office detected that the eruption almost went out that morning and detected unrest rising again around an hour before the lava was spotted. Soon after, Vísir’s webcam confirmed simmering lava flows.

Fagradalsfjall has found a new rhythm of spitting lava

Experts speculate that the eruption might have found a new rhythm, as there was a long break on Friday as well. According to Vísir, the unrest line fell sharply on Friday midnight when the eruption rapidly subsided. Then it started again in the afternoon, also after a sixteen-hour break. Since Saturday, about 36 hours of continuous eruption with large lava flows followed until the standstill on Sunday.

If the eruption continues at this rate, visible activity with lava flows can be expected for the next one and a half days with the next eruption following on Tuesday morning.

Note: Due to the effect the Coronavirus is having on tourism in Iceland, it’s become increasingly difficult for the Grapevine to survive. If you enjoy our content and want to help the Grapevine’s journalists do things like eat and pay rent, please consider joining our High Five Club.

You can also check out our shop, loaded with books, apparel and other cool merch, that you can buy and have delivered right to your door.

Also you can get regular news from Iceland—including the latest notifications on eruptions, as soon as they happen—by signing up to our newsletter.