Eruption News

After a week of earthquakes and expected eruption, it has now started.

Due to increased seismic activity on the Reykjanes peninsula and possible eruption, sign up for SMS alerts

A map has been published, showing the possible eruption site in Reykjanes

The Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management, in consultation with the Reykjanes chief of police, have turned on notifications by SMS messages to visitors that enter a certain area in the region due to the earthquake swarm that started on the 4th of July.

Earthquakes have started again in the Reykjanes peninsula similar to the present events before the eruption in Mt. Fagradalsfjall last year. Due to that visitors are asked to take care when hiking and driving in the region, expecially close to mountain areas.

Today a new eruption started in Reykjanes. Travellers and visitors are asked to stay away from the area while the situation is being assessed by scientists and Authorities.

Travellers and hikers are asked to be aware of the risk of rock falling and landslides

Earthquakes have started again in the Reykjanes peninsula similar to the present events before the eruption in Mt. Fagradalsfjall last March. Due to that visitors are asked not to go hiking around the eruption site.

Early in the morning of the 15th of September, the Visit Reykjanes team went to the eruption site in Geldingadalir. During our visit, the team took a 360° image close to the crater. This image was taken shortly before the area was closed due to extreme lava flow.

Lilja Alfreðsdóttir Minister of education and culture, confirmed on 2. July a decision by the local council of Grindavík that the lava that now flows by the sites of Fagradalsfjall will be named Fagradalshraun. The direct translation is "beautiful-valley-mountain- lava -field".

Many of us have seen the magnificent erupting Mt. Fagradalsfjall from ground level through a screen or even in person, but now you can see the volcano from space with the so-called Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) that can track flowing lava. See the development of the volcano from April. 1 - May. 6 in only 14 seconds.

The tour guide and photographer Adam Kaczuba has hiked to the volcano in Geldingadalir 46 times since the eruption started on March 19th. Before he moved to Iceland in 2006 he knew little as nothing about the country. “Having an erupting volcano almost in the backyard is beyond what I could ever imagine", says Adam.