Hikers evacuated as new fissure opens up at Icelandic volcano

6 April 2021, 07:24

Steam and lava spurt from a new fissure on a volcano on the Reykjanes Peninsula in southwestern Iceland
Iceland Volcano. Picture: PA

The long-dormant volcano flared to life on March 20 after tens of thousands of earthquakes were recorded in the area in the past three weeks.

Steam and lava have spurted from a new fissure at an Icelandic volcano that began erupting last month, prompting the evacuation of hundreds of hikers who had come to see the spectacle.

The new fissure, first spotted by a sightseeing helicopter, was about 500 metres (550 yards) long and about a kilometre (around half a mile) from the original eruption site in the Geldinga Valley.

The Icelandic Department of Emergency Management announced an immediate evacuation of the area.

It said there was no imminent danger to life due to the site’s distance from popular hiking paths.

Lava flows from a new fissure on a volcano on the Reykjanes Peninsula in southwestern Iceland
Lava flows from a new fissure on a volcano on the Reykjanes Peninsula in southwestern Iceland (Marco Di Marco/AP)

The Icelandic Meteorological Office said the new volcanic activity was not expected to affect traffic at nearby Keflavik Airport.

The long-dormant volcano on the Reykjanes Peninsula in southwest Iceland flared to life on March 20 after tens of thousands of earthquakes were recorded in the area in the past three weeks.

It was the area’s first volcanic eruption in nearly 800 years.

The volcano’s proximity to Iceland’s capital Reykjavik, about 32 kilometres (20 miles) away, has brought a steady stream of tourists to the area, even with the country in partial lockdown to combat coronavirus.

Steam and lava spurt from a new fissure on a volcano on the Reykjanes Peninsula in southwestern Iceland
Steam and lava spurt from a new fissure on the volcano (Marco Di Marco/AP)

Around 30,000 people have visited the area since the eruption began, according to the Icelandic Tourist Board.

Live footage from the area showed small spouts of lava coming from the new fissure.

Geophysicist Magnus Gudmundsson said the volcanic eruption could be moving north from its original location.

“We now see less lava coming from the two original craters,” he told the Associated Press.

“This could be the beginning of a second stage.”

Steam and lava spurt from a new fissure on a volcano on the Reykjanes Peninsula in southwestern Iceland
The volcano is about 20 miles away from Iceland’s capital Reykjavik (Marco Di Marco/AP)

Iceland, located above a volcanic hot spot in the North Atlantic, averages one volcanic eruption every four to five years.

The last one was at Holuhraun in 2014, when a fissure eruption spread lava the size of Manhattan over the interior highland region.

In 2010, ash from Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull volcano shut down much international air travel for several days.

By Press Association

Latest World News

See more Latest World News

Video footage shows the convoy had emergency lights flashing when it was hit

Israel admits ‘mistakenly’ killing 15 aid workers after video leak contradicted official version of events

Jaguar Land Rover has paused shipments to the US in the wake of 'Liberation Day' tariffs

Jaguar Land Rover halts shipments to US in wake of tariffs as Trump insists he'll win 'economic revolution'

Flowers and toys left on a swing seat to commemorate victims killed in Russia's missile attack on Friday

Death toll from Russian strike on Zelenskyy's home town rises as 18 confirmed dead - including nine children

Donald Trump's 10% tariff on UK products has officially come into force

Trump tariffs come into force as global stock markets plunge deeper into the red

Tom Howard

British tourist killed after being struck by boulder on trek through Himalayas

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, a car burns following a Russian missile attack that killed more than a dozen people, including children, in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, Friday, April 4, 2025. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

Russia kills 16 people including three children in missile strike on Zelenskyy's home town, with dozens wounded

Travel influencer Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov, 24, made an illegal visit to North Sentinel Island

Tourist who left Coke for world's most isolated tribe 'could have wiped them all out' - and police 'can't go collect can'

White House weighs in to support ‘censored’ anti-abortion activists in Britain

White House looking to support ‘censored’ anti-abortion activists in Britain

This image provided by NASA shows Nick Hague, right, Suni Williams, and Butch Wilmore. (NASA via AP)

Stranded NASA astronauts reveal they were almost trapped in space 'forever' after horror malfunction

Donald Trump demands France 'free Marine Le Pen'

Donald Trump demands France 'free Marine Le Pen' after far-right leader found guilty of embezzlement in 'witch hunt'

China will impose a 34% retaliatory tariff on imports from the US

China announces additional 34% tariffs on US imports in retaliation over Trump's 'Liberation Day' levies

Friends of Prince Andrew say he's "unsurprised" Giuffre made the post

Prince Andrew 'not surprised' his accuser shared shock post saying she had 'four days to live'

South Korea's impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol

South Korea president Yoon Suk Yeol removed from office as impeachment upheld over martial law declaration

Virginia Giuffre

Woman driving Prince Andrew accuser Virginia Giuffre during crash that left her with 'four days to live' breaks silence

Exclusive
'Donald Trump has made Putin comfortable,' Mikhail Khodorkovsky has warned

'Trump has made Putin comfortable' despite massive Ukraine war losses, exiled former oligarch tells LBC

The bodies of Andrew Searle and his wife Dawn were discovered by a neighbour.

British couple found dead in south of France home being ‘treated as murder-suicide’