Reykjanes
Most read
Latest
-
Following Birds, Finding People: Discovering Iceland Through Birding
The first time I moved to Iceland, I arrived at night. Hitchhiking from the airport, I couldn’t see the land itself, only its outlines. Street lights, windows, and construction cranes described the topography in glowing fragments, but the colours of vegetation and the feel of the place…
-
UN Commission Recognises Icelandic Rights Of Continental Shelf
The United Nations Continental Shelf Commission has formally approved Iceland’s rights and sovereignty of the Icelandic continental shelf. The approval marks the end of a 25-year-long process pursued by Icelandic authorities, RÚV reports. The Icelandic continental shelf extends 570 nautical miles southwest…
-
Next Eruption Expected In February, Says Geophysicist
The next eruption at Sundhnúksgígar crater row near Grindavík is expected to occur at the end of January or beginning of February, says geophysicist Benedikt Ófeigsson. RÚV spoke with him on December 19. Scientists base their guess on the readings of ground…
-
Eruption Officially Declared Over
The volcanic eruption east of Stóra-Skógfell, which began on November 20, has officially ended, reports Vísir. A drone operated by Civil Protection revealed no signs of volcanic activity in the area. The eruption lasted for 18 days, making it one of the…
-
Lava Cooling Completed, Gas Pollution In Grindavík
The lava cooling efforts near Svartsengi have been completed for now, reports RÚV. Firefighters worked eight-hour shifts around the clock for over a week to cool the lava flowing from the eruption that began along the Sundhnúksgígar crater row on November 20.…
-
Decreased Volcanic Activity At Sundhnúksgígar
Activity is decreasing at the site of the volcanic eruption that began Nov. 20 along the Sundhnúkagígar crater row, RÚV reports. Of the three main fissures formed in the process, most of the activity centres around the eruption’s northernmost crater. The primary…
-
Sundhnúkur Eruption Ongoing
The eruption that began along the Sundhnúkur crater row on the evening of November 20 is still active. The majority of volcanic activity stems from three separate craters. As previously reported, the activity has damaged nearby infrastructure, including the Blue Lagoon parking…
-
False Alarm As Volcano Prepares To Rumble
In the early morning of November 4, a series of earthquakes were recorded between Stóra Skógfell and Sýlingarfell on the Reykjanes Peninsula. The Met Office’s alert responses were partially activated due to a possible magma intrusion. Most of the activity blew over…
-
Grindavík Opened To The Public
On Monday, October 21, authorities will open Grindavík to the public. The decision was announced during a meeting of the Grindavík earthquake committee. The Suðurnes Police Chief stresses that people entering Grindavík do so on their own responsibility and that the town…
-
Driving Down A Road To Nowhere
Taking the high road to a curious backwater of the Reykjanes peninsula Reykjanesbraut is one of the most well-travelled roads in Iceland. It’s a straight shot that slices through the windblown stretch of lava between greater Reykjavík and the international airport in…
-
Earthquake Swarm Shakes Reykjanes Peninsula
An earthquake swarm that began west of Eldey around 21:00 on May 5 has significantly decreased. Dozens of earthquakes have been measured in the swarm, with two of them exceeding a magnitude of 3, reports RÚV. Approximately 70 earthquakes have been recorded…
-
Lava Spills Over Defensive Walls Near Grindavík
The lava near Grindavík has amassed in volume higher than the defensive berms surrounding the area. In some places, the lava reaches four metres over the fortifications, RÚV reports. In some places, lava effectively spills into the designated safe zone. The rate…
-
New Eruption On Reykjanes Peninsula
A new eruption began on the Reykjanes peninsula March 16 at 20:23. A three km long fissure is currently erupting between Hagafell and Stóra Skógfell. The eruption was preceded by a brief period of seismic activity in the area. The length and…
-
Volcanologist Calls For Increased Government Preparation
Volcanologist Þorvaldur Þórðarson took to local radio station Bylgjan Monday morning to discuss satellite imagery showing land rise throughout the country — not only on the Reykjanes peninsula. He’s calling on the government to begin preparations for a range of scenarios, namely…
-
Another Eruption Imminent, Claims Volcanologist
Since December 22, no activity has been measured at the the site of the Sundhnúkar eruption on the Reykjanes Peninsula. Despite the young volcano having cooled down, increased magma intrusion has recently been recorded at Svartsengi, a few kilometres from the eruption…
-
UPDATED: Eruption Has Begun At Sundhnúkagígar, Emergency/Distress Phase Announced
An eruption began on the Reykjanes peninsula around 22:17, in the area between Sýlingarfell and Hagafell, just north of the town of Grindavík and east of the Blue Lagoon and Svartsengi Power Plant. The fissure is estimated to be over 3 km…
-
UPDATES: Emergency/Distress Phase Announced, Grindavík Ordered To Evacuate
With the town of Grindavík now evacuated, we will not be updating this thread any further. UPDATE: Nov. 10, 2023 — 23:55 The Icelandic Met Office reports that a dike formation has likely formed beneath the town of Grindavík. With the magma…
-
Preparations Underway To Protect Hot Water Pipelines Amid Possible Eruption
Due to the possible eruption in the Reykjanes Peninsula, authorities have started transporting building materials to defend hot water pipelines in the area. The pipelines originate from the Svartsengi Power Plant, moving hot water throughout the region. In the event of an…
-
Tour Operator Suspends Blue Lagoon Trips Amid Safety Concerns
Tour company Kynnisferðir — better known to visitors as operators of Reykjavík Excursions or the FlyBus — announced Monday it is suspending tours to the Blue Lagoon due to ongoing safety concerns on the Reykjanes peninsula. Tours were halted as of noon…
-
Met Office Hypothesises Two Outcomes Of Earthquake Swarm
Experts at the Icelandic Meteorological Office are hypothesising two scenarios that could play out in the coming days or weeks, MBL.is reports. The first is that the earthquake swarms that began to rumble the Reykjanes peninsula July 4 could simply die down…
-
Next Eruption Looms Just Hours Or Days Away
There is a high likelihood of an eruption nearing Fagradalsfjall, according to a volcanologist, as the ongoing seismic activity is similar to that which led to the previous eruptions. The next eruption is likely to occur within a few hours or days,…
-
UPDATED: Earthquakes Rocking Reykjanes, Pointing To Another Eruption
A magnitude 4.0 earthquake woke late sleepers in central Reykjavík at 8:21 this morning. But, it’s residents of the Reykjanes peninsula that are likely a little worse for wear this morning, waking up from a long night of back to back quakes.…
-
The Volcano Is Dead, Reykjanes Lives On
Who would have thought that the Reykjanes peninsula would become one of Iceland’s most visited places? Thousands of tourists streamed to the heart of the peninsula to witness practically back-to-back volcanic eruptions at Fagradalsfjall. The fascination was intense with the visitor-friendly, capital-adjacent…