New eruption starts near Fagradalsfjall, Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland
A new eruption has started near Fagradalsfjall volcano in the Krýsuvík-Trölladyngja volcanic system, Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland at around 13:18 UTC on August 3, 2022.
The eruption seems to be taking place in the same area as last year, about 1.5 km (0.9 miles) north of Stóra-Hrút.
Based on the first pictures taken by Halldór Björnsson of the Icelandic Meteorological Office from a surveillance flight with the Norwegian Coast Guard, the crack is located at the northern edge of the new lava that emerged in the last eruption.
The crack appears to be about 300 m (984 feet) long based on the first measurements.
The eruption started after 4 days of intense seismic activity and ground deformation of about 16 cm (6.3 inches).
Follow the eruption live at:
The last eruption at this volcano started on March 19, 2021, after more than 50 000 earthquakes registered since February 24, and lasted until September 18, 2021 (VEI 0).
Here’s a selection of our articles covering it:
Geological summary
The Catalogue of Icelandic Volcanoes describes the Krýsuvík-Trölladyngja volcanic system as an approximately 50 km (31 miles) long composite fissure swarm trending about N38°E, including a 30 km (18 miles) long swarm of fissures, with no central volcano.
It is one of the volcanic systems arranged en-echelon along the Reykjanes Peninsula west of Kleifarvatn lake. The Fagradalsfjall and Krýsuvík fissure swarms are considered splits or secondary swarms of the Krýsuvík–Trölladyngja volcanic system.
Small shield volcanoes have produced a large portion of the erupted volume within the system. Several eruptions have taken place since the settlement of Iceland, including the eruption of a large basaltic lava flow from the Ogmundargigar crater row around the 12th century.1
References:
1 Krysuvik – Geological summary – GVP
Featured image credit: mbl.is (stillshot)
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