The latest eruption, the sixth since December, is part of increased volcanic activity that began in 2021.
A volcano in southwestern Iceland erupted on Thursday, spewing ashes and lava, the sixth such eruption since December, according to the Icelandic Meteorological Office.
The flare-up of the volcano, part of the Svartsengi volcanic system on the Reykjanes Peninsula, marks a continuation of intense geological activity in a region where eight volcanic blasts have been recorded since 2021, several of which occurred this year. Before 2021, the volcanoes on the Reykjanes Peninsula had been dormant for about 800 years.
The Blue Lagoon, a geothermal spa and a popular tourist destination near the site of the eruption, announced that it had evacuated its guests and that it would be closed on Friday as a “precautionary measure.” Grindavik, a nearby fishing town of nearly 4,000 people, has been largely empty of its residents since January, after volcanic activity started threatening the area.
The eruption occurred in a part of a newly active volcanic zone in Iceland that had been dormant for eight centuries before activity that started last December, with its most recent eruption starting in May.
Scientists said they expected the zone to continue producing magma and generating eruptions every few months for years, possibly decades.
“With every eruption, we see new unforeseen events,” said Matthew J. Roberts, the managing director of the Icelandic Meteorological Office, which tracks volcanic activity in addition to weather patterns.
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