Iceland volcano eruption sparks travel fears, risky photo shoots

“I simply made it to the volcano … my thoughts is totally blown, it’s loopy,” one onlooker instructed the Related Press. “The very last thing that I’d have imagined this morning after I awoke could be to be standing and this … it’s so stunning.”

One other man who had flocked to see the identical volcano erupt final yr stated it was “completely unbelievable,” describing the lava as a mesmerizing “dancing hearth.”

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The eruption, labeled as a volcanic fissure, is happening about 10 miles from Keflavik Worldwide Airport and about 20 miles from the nation’s capital, Reykjavik. As of Thursday morning, the airport — which has flights from Seattle, London and Frankfurt — remained open and operational.

“Presently, there have been no disruptions to flights to and from Iceland and worldwide flight corridors stay open,” the Overseas Ministry stated in a statement.

Worldwide vacationers will recall the 2010 eruption of the nation’s Eyjafjallajokull volcano, which spewed large ash clouds into the ambiance, grounding air visitors and leaving thousands and thousands stranded.

“What we all know to date is that the eruption doesn’t pose any danger to populated areas or essential infrastructure,” Icelandic Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir stated in a press release. “We’ll in fact proceed to observe the state of affairs intently.”

A volcanic fissure doesn’t normally lead to massive explosions or vital dispersal of ash into the stratosphere. However folks had been warned to remain away due to the chance from noxious fumes and scorching magma.

“The eruption follows intense seismic exercise over the previous few days,” the Overseas Ministry stated. “It’s thought of to be comparatively small and because of its location, there may be low menace to populated areas or essential infrastructure”

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The precise location of the eruption is in Meradalir, about one mile north of Mt. Stori-Hrutur, in accordance with the Icelandic Meteorological Workplace.

The world has skilled “robust earthquakes” in current days, it added, warning of tremors, falling rocks and fuel air pollution. The identical volcano additionally erupted final yr, it said, and lasted about six months.

Volcanoes are a truth of life in Iceland, a rustic that sits atop the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, brought on by the separation of the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. On average, the nation experiences a volcanic occasion about each 4 years.

Nevertheless, the identical geological exercise can also be liable for a few of the nation’s most dramatic pure options, comparable to black sand seashores and geothermal lagoons, which draw thousands and thousands of international vacationers.

The present volcanic response is being led by Iceland’s division of Civil Safety and Emergency Administration alongside the Meteorological Workplace and College of Iceland. Scientists are additionally within the space with Coast Guard helicopters to evaluate the state of affairs, the federal government stated.