Fire and Iceland
Historic eruption warms locals’ hearts
A volcano just 20 miles southwest of Iceland’s capital is erupting for the first time in 6,000 years — winning red-hot, glowing reviews from its excited neighbors, including the singer Björk.
“YESSS!!, eruption !!” the 15-time Grammy nominee wrote on Instagram of the dramatic flare-up near Reykjavík, and just six miles from her home on the Reykjanes Peninsula.
“We in iceland are sooo excited !!!” she oozed of the molten Fagradalsfjall peak.
“We still got it !!! sense of relief when nature expresses herself !!! enjoy, warmthness , björk.”
The eruption began about 8:45 p.m. local time Friday and continued, although with diminished intensity, throughout the weekend.
It is the first volcanic activity on the peninsula in southwest Iceland in nearly 800 years.
Aerial images show clouds of ash rising skyward as fiery rivers of lava flow down the mountainside.
The nearby Keflavik International Airport was closed briefly Friday night.
Nearby residents were warned by the national Icelandic Police to close their windows and stay indoors to avoid the “volcanic gas pollution.”
Still, the eruption is being described as relatively small and docile by local volcanologists.
Björk and her neighbors in southwest Iceland will likely not need to be evacuated because the eruption is in a remote valley, about a mile and a half from the nearest road.
“Lava fountains are small, and lava flows are currently a very local hazard,” the Icelandic Meteorological Office said Saturday.
Seismic activity has increased in the area for more than a year, heralding the weekend blast. Within the last month, more than three dozen earthquakes rattled the area, including a 5.3 magnitude temblor last Sunday.