new volcanic eruption near Grindavík

Seen from the sky, it is an incandescent and flaming canvas. The sound of magma breaks the silence of the night. Of this living work, the only artist is nature, powerful and unstoppable. The lava spreads as the hours pass. In southwest Iceland, a new volcanic fault has opened. A crack in the earth lets lava flow several kilometers long. It does not present any immediate danger to the population, as has been the case in recent months.

Icelandic government takes action

The 4,000 inhabitants of the town of Grindavík were evacuated. Since December, this is the fourth eruption in the region. “There are periods where there is nothing for 700-800 years, and then for one or two centuries there is activity”, explains Vincent Drouin, geophysicist in Iceland. The Icelandic government has already announced that it wants to buy residences in the area, where nature seems to have reclaimed its rights.