Vulkan on Reykjanes Peninsula breaks out-blue lagoon evacuated!

Vulkan on Reykjanes Peninsula breaks out-blue lagoon evacuated!

Grindavík, Island - On July 16, 2025, a volcano broke out on the Icelandic Reykjanes Peninsula. Lava releases a column of earth up to 1 km long, while large clouds of smoke and ashes rise to the sky. The first live images show lava stream from a column between 700 and 1,000 meters in length. The eruption column, which was originally a few hundred meters long, extended to an estimated 2.4 kilometers during the day. Another crack in the earth opened, which is about 500 meters long and gives larger lava fields around it. Despite the dramatic scenery, experts emphasize that there is no direct danger to inhabited areas or important infrastructure. That, reports vienna.at, is particularly important, since the outbreak takes place in a volcanologically favorable area that is far away.

The local police and security forces took precautionary measures and, for safety's sake, evacuate the campsite in Grindavík and the famous Geothermal bath "Blue Lagune". Tourists who are interested in the natural spectacle are asked to stay away from danger zones while they can observe the event from a safe distance. Margrét Kristín Pálsdóttir, the police chief, expresses understanding of the interest of the visitors, but strictly follows the security interests of the residents and the tourists themselves.

straw observations and seismic activity

The Icelandic Weather Office reported the outbreak shortly before 4 a.m. on Wednesday morning. The seismic activity in the region has increased in the past few days, with a total of 480 registered earthquakes in the 48 hours before the outbreak. There was a quake greater than strength 3 and numerous weaker quakes. These geophysical activities are not unusual for Iceland, which an average of around 43,000 earthquakes per year, as [https://www.volcanodiscanodiscovery.com/de/erdbeben/island/stats.html reports). The last big eruption on the Reykjanes Peninsula took place in April 2025 and only lasted for a few days.

The wave of seismic activities, however, surprised many experts because they originally only expected a new eruption in autumn 2025. In particular, the increase in seismic activity since around 2010 has been attributed to the improved sensitivity of seismic networks and better data availability. Against this background, the current volcanic eruption again underlines the dynamic nature of the geological processes in Iceland.