Clouds of smoke billowing alongside red-hot lava – this is what a satellite image of Iceland’s most recent volcanic eruption looks like. The image captured by NASA shows lava flowing over major roads near the Blue Lagoon, which serves as a popular tourist destination.
Lava also engulfed the parking lot of the Blue Lagoon, photos from multiple agencies showed.
“A plume of gas, consisting mainly of sulfur dioxide, erupted from the lava, although the eruption did not affect flights to Iceland,” NASA said in a statement.
The orange color of the lava, as seen in the image, was captured by OLI-2 on Nov. 24, and enhanced with an infrared signal to highlight the lava’s heat signature, the space observatory added.
Volcanic eruption: residents evacuated
Lava reportedly erupted from a 1.8-mile-long crack in the ground and engulfed the parking lot of the Blue Lagoon. According to reports, about 3800 residents of 50 houses were evacuated before the lava arrived. Newsweek.
The Icelandic Meteorological Office said that while the activity of the recent eruption has not decreased as rapidly as previous eruptions, it is still continuing strongly five days after it began.
“For comparison, the lava flow at this point is similar to the most powerful eruption at Fagradalsfjall,” he said, citing several reports on 25 November.
Iceland’s volcanoes in the new era
According to experts, Iceland’s recent volcanic eruption is a fissure eruption. A fissure is a crack through which magma flows. When this fracture reaches the surface, lava erupts. According to a BBC report, the Reykjanes Peninsula was dormant for 800 years before volcanic activity resumed in 2021.
Iceland is home to 33 active volcanic systems, more than any other European country. It is located on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a fault in the ocean floor that separates the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates, causing earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
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