Iceland volcano eruption throws spectacular 160-foot-high wall of lava toward Grindavík

A volcano on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula has erupted just three weeks after the last eruption ended, spewing huge walls of lava toward the town of Grindavík.

Iceland's Civil Protection warned residents and emergency responders to be ready to evacuate the town at short notice in a translated statement.

The eruption started just before 1 p.m. local time (9 a.m. E.T.) at Sundhnúkur crater, about 2 miles (3 kilometers) northeast of Grindavík. Rising magma opened a 1.5-mile-long (2.5 km) fissure that is currently throwing lava up to 165 feet (50 meters) into the air, according to the Icelandic Met Office (IMO). 

The fissure appears to be growing, IMO representatives said.

This is the eighth eruption on the peninsula since March 2021 and the fifth since December 2023. The last eruption continued for 54 days, from March 16 to May 8, 2024. That eruption produced lava flows that narrowly missed Grindavík and a giant plume of toxic gas that Traveled hundreds of miles across northern Europe.

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The recent flurry of volcanic activity in Iceland began on Dec. 18, 2023, following weeks of localized earthquakes, which prompted authorities to evacuate 4,000 people from Grindavík and close the nearby Blue Lagoon geothermal spa. Breathtaking photos showed a wall of lava up to 100 feet (30 m) tall erupting from a huge fissure.