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Fagradalsfjall volcano update: Eruption goes on, filling Geldingadalir valley

Fri, 2 Apr 2021, 09:51 | BY: T
View of the eruption in Iceland this morning (image: RUV webcam)
View of the eruption in Iceland this morning (image: RUV webcam)
The eruption in Geldingadalir, now soon two weeks old, shows no signs of weakening. Activity has been building a slowly growing cone around the two active vents in the center, which undergoes constant modifications by accumulating spatter and smaller and larger collapses.
The lava flows continue to fill the valley and might soon start overflowing into one of the adjacent ones; there are even unconfirmed reports that it might have already started to do so.
In the meanwhile, the photo taken on 31 March does beautifully illustrate how the eruption has modified the local topography:


Icelandic scientists from the Met Office reported:
The erupted lava "is basaltic and highly fluid with little explosive activity. It is a very small eruption and the lava flow has been steady at 5-7 m3/s since its onset. Currently the extent of the lava field is within Geldingadalur but if the eruption keeps ongoing at a similar rate, it is modeled that the lava will flow east towards Merardalur valley.
If the volcano continues to erupt it could eventually end up being categorized as a shield volcano. Shield volcanoes are generally formed over long time periods with lava fields extending from a few to several kilometers around its source. There is no way to tell how long the eruption will last."

"The current magma is rich in MgO (8.5%) which indicates that it is from depths of around 17-20 km. There has been constant gas pollution close to the eruption site, spatially determined by local wind conditions. Gases can accumulate to life-threatening levels in certain weather conditions. There have been no indications of significant tectonic movements since the eruption started. There is currently no indication of new openings at other locations along the magma injection path."

Stunning images of the eruption abound on the web in numerous places, such as:

Previous news

Fri, 26 Mar 2021, 06:53

As Iceland's eruption goes on, lava might fill the valley and overflow to the next one

View of the ongoing eruption in Iceland this morning (image: RUV webcam)
The eruption is now almost a week old and shows little signs of stopping anytime soon. Activity is now concentrated at two adjacent vents of a growing cone in the central part of the original eruptive fissure. They are filled with spectacularly boiling (degassing) lava that flows away to form thin flows that overlap on a growing lava field, that slowly but surely is filling the Geldingadalur valley. ... Read all
Wed, 24 Mar 2021, 19:01

Reykjanes eruption continues in its fourth day, scientists find evidence of magma came quickly from very deep

Weather conditions can be difficult on Iceland in March - view of the ongoing eruption this afternoon (RUV webcam)
The eruption continues with little changes, but it has provided scientists already with very interesting results that might provide unique insights into a type of eruption that hasn't been observed on Iceland in a long time. ... Read all
Show more
Fissure swarm 385 m / 1263 ft
Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland, 63.89°N / -22.27°W
Current status: normal or dormant (1 out of 5) Fagradalsfjall volcano eruptions:
2023 (10 July - ongoing), 2022 (Aug), 2021
Less than few million years ago (Pleistocene)
Typical eruption style
fissure eruptions, lava flows
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