Iceland volcano continues to erupt with more vents likely to open – live

The land around the Svartsengi geothermal plant has subsided more than 5cm following the volcanic eruption, the Icelandic Met Office said on Tuesday.

The land had previously risen by about 35 cm since the formation of the magma channel on 10 November, according to the authorities, who added that it was too early to determine if magma would continue to accumulate under Svartsengi and whether the land would rise again.

Icelandic authorities over the past month had been building defence walls around the power plant to protect it from lava flows.

Flights were unlikely to be affected by the volcano eruption in Reykjanes peninsula, the Icelandic government said, quashing international travel concerns.

“The eruption does not present a threat to life,” a government statement said.

“There are no disruptions to flights to and from Iceland and international flight corridors remain open.”

Despite the proximity to the volcano, the Keflavik Airport remained open to passengers travelling in and out of the country.

Sam Mitchell, a volcanologist at the University of Bristol, said the latest eruption was very different to the 2010 Eyjafjallajokull eruption when “a large explosive eruption under a glacier produced a very large cloud and very fine ash in the atmosphere when the wind direction was pointing towards mainland Europe”.

The above map shows the nearly four-km-long fissure east of the Svartsengi geothermal plant and north of the fishing town of Grindavik, which was evacuated last month following scores of earthquakes.

The above satellite map provided by the Icelandic Met Office shows the new eruptive fissure (yellow line) and lava flow (colored area) east of the Svartsengi geothermal plant.

Iceland’s capital is at risk of gas pollution due to the volcano eruption near the fishing town of Grindavik following weeks of intense earthquakes.

Fumes could reach Reykjavik by Wednesday morning, the Icelandic Met Office has warned.

In an update on Tuesday, the authorities said the eruption was weakening with just three vents erupting southeast of Stóra-Skógfell, down from the previous five.

“The lava has mostly flowed east from the eruption site, but there is also a lava tongue flowing west from the region north of Stóra-Skógfell.”

At least 320 earthquakes have been measured over the magma channels since the beginning of the eruption on Monday night, the Met Office added.

An expert has warned that the volcanic eruption on Iceland’s Reykjanes peninsula could go on “for months”.

After weeks of anticipation, the eruption began at just after 10pm on Monday night following a swarm of seismic activity.

“It could potentially go on for several months, it could also just stop later today or tomorrow,” said Halldor Geirson, an associate professor at Institute of Earth Sciences at the University of Iceland.

He added that most of the lava flow had slowed and was heading away from the evacuated town of Grindavik. But that could still change.

“There is still a threat to Grindavik, for sure. Now the lava is flowing mostly to the north, but it depends on the topography and where the openings are,” he said.

Residents of Grindavik had hoped to return to their family-friendly port town in time for Christmas before the volcanic eruption last night blew their plans out of the water.

Andrea Ævarsdóttir told The Independent she has been living in Reykjavik like most of the people from Grindavik.

She said: “Nobody has been living in town since November 10. I was really on the fence about returning, but now I’m almost 100% sure I won’t return.

“I’ve spoken to the people I work with and some of my friends in Grindavík. We’re all just like a popped balloon we’re totally out of steam.”

She added: “It’s really hard. I was just talking to the local priest and she said her whole body hurts from the stress and anxiety.”

The earth is at its most restless in Iceland right now. A volcano is erupting on the Reykjanes Peninsula, southwest of Reykjavik.

The eruption is around 10 miles southwest of the airport and northeast of the town of Grindavik – whose 4,000 inhabitants were evacuated as a precaution.

Yet flights are continuing to arrive and depart as normal. These are the key questions on consumer rights, answered by The Independent’s Travel Correspondent, Simon Calder:

A tourist watched on, metres away from a volcanic eruption on Iceland‘s Reykjanes Peninsula on Monday.

“I’m very excited to be here in this place, in this time, just being able to see this natural phenomenon… It’s just something from a movie,” said Robert Donald Forrester III.

Emergency responders stationed in the evacuated town of Grindavik have been ordered to leave the town.

Icelandic broadcaster RUV reported that the decision was confirmed by police chief Úlfar Lúðvíksson and was based on an Icelandic Met Office risk assessment map.

They added that the situation will be reviewed tomorrow.