https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/30/europe/iceland-volcano-eruption-grindavik-
intl-hnk

A volcano in southwestern Iceland erupted Wednesday for the fifth time
since December, spewing massive lava flows that threatened to cut off the
town of Grindav�k and prompting the evacuation of the world-famous Blue
Lagoon.

The eruption began around 1 p.m. local time (9 a.m. ET) Wednesday
following an earthquake at the Sundhn�ks crater, Iceland�s public
broadcaster RUV reported.

Iceland�s Meteorological Office had earlier warned that a volcanic
eruption was likely following �intense seismic activity� at the crater and
a build-up of magma in its underground reservoir.

Dramatic video and images from the scene showed fountains of red-hot lava
shooting into the air along a 3.4-kilometer (two-mile) fissure near Mount
Hagafell on the Reykjanes Peninsula.

Lava flows initially cut off two out of three roads leading to the fishing
town of Grindav�k and were steadily moving along a defensive barrier built
to save the town and key infrastructure from being destroyed, Iceland�s
Meteorological Office said.

But the situation had improved by Thursday, the mayor of Grindav�k said.
The town remains without electricity, but both hot and cold water are
running in the town with no apparent damage to the piping system, RUV
reported.

�I like the situation quite well compared to how it looked at the
beginning of the eruption yesterday,� Mayor Fannar J�nasson said.

Initial monitoring by the Met Office warned the start of the eruption was
�more vigorous� than previous times, but the lava activity had
�significantly decreased overnight,� it said.

Just hours before, V��ir Reynisson, from Iceland�s Civil Defense, had told
RUV that �lava is flowing outside the defense walls at Grindav�k in
several places, and lava is also starting to flow outside the walls at
Svartsengi.�

He warned that Grindav�k was at risk of becoming completely cut off,
though he added that the defense barriers were holding.

�The houses in the west and farthest part of the town would have gone
under the lava if it weren�t for the defensive walls, but they are still
standing and defending,� Reynisson reportedly said.

Grindav�k, a town of about 3,000 people, was mostly evacuated before a
previous eruption in December. Residents and responders who remain in the
town have been urged to leave while they still can, though police told RUV
that three residents are refusing to evacuate.

Electricity to Grindav�k was cut on Wednesday as a protective measure as
lava flows closed in on high-voltage lines and hot and cold pipes in the
ground, Kristinn Har�arsonar, production manager at energy company HS
Orka, told RUV.

�Most of the high-voltage lines are gone, the pylons are badly damaged and
some are on fire,� the Civil Defense�s Reynisson later said.

Benedikt �feigsson, from the Met Office, told RUV that the beginning of
this eruption was more powerful than previously due to more accumulated
magma in the chamber.

�It�s a lot more lava flow than we�ve seen before,� he reportedly said.
�This is reflected in today�s massive lava flows.�

Iceland�s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a post on X that there was
no disruption to international or domestic flights.

But for the third time in just over two months, the country�s famous
geothermal spa and tourist hotspot the Blue Lagoon was evacuated,
according to its operations manager.

Just under an hour�s drive from Iceland�s capital and largest city
Reykjavik, the Blue Lagoon is one of the country�s most popular tourist
attractions. The site is part of southwest Iceland�s Reykjanes Peninsula �
a thick finger of land pointing west into the North Atlantic Ocean from
Reykjavik.

Iceland is one of the most active volcanic areas on the planet. Rather
than having a central volcano, the Reykjanes Peninsula is dominated by a
rift valley, with lava fields and cones.

The environment agency�s air quality meters are �green� across Iceland,
indicating there is currently no air pollution from the eruption, the
monitoring website shows. However, Iceland�s national police warned a
westerly wind could carry gas pollution from the eruption eastward on
Thursday into Friday, which might affect areas in South Iceland.

�According to the Icelandic Met Office, there is considerable uncertainty
regarding the amount of gas emissions from the eruption site,� the police
said in a statement.

While the gas pollution forecasted in Reykjav�k on Wednesday never
materialized, police encouraged residents to monitor real-time air
pollution levels online.

--
We live in a time where intelligent people are being silenced so that
stupid people won't be offended.

Durham Report: The FBI has an integrity problem. It has none.

No collusion - Special Counsel Robert Swan Mueller III, March 2019.
Officially made Nancy Pelosi a two-time impeachment loser.

Thank you for cleaning up the disaster of the 2008-2017 Obama / Biden
fiasco, President Trump.

Under Barack Obama's leadership, the United States of America became the
The World According To Garp. Obama sold out heterosexuals for Hollywood
queer liberal democrat donors.

President Trump boosted the economy, reduced illegal invasions, appointed
dozens of judges and three SCOTUS justices.