---
title: "Large Icelandic volcano eruption misses local town"
description: "Lava from a large volcanic eruption in Iceland appeared to flow away from the only town in the area, offering hope that homes would be spared, geologists and rescue officials said on Tuesday."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "Newsdeck"
author: "Reuters"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/reuters/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2023-12-19-large-icelandic-volcano-eruption-misses-local-town/"
published: "2023-12-19T11:26:50"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 221
---

# Large Icelandic volcano eruption misses local town

> Lava from a large volcanic eruption in Iceland appeared to flow away from the only town in the area, offering hope that homes would be spared, geologists and rescue officials said on Tuesday.

By Reuters · Published 19 December 2023, 13:26 SAST

## Key points
- After weeks of seismic activity, Iceland's Reykjanes peninsula erupted late Monday, spewing lava and smoke more than 100 metres into the air with no threat to life as international flight corridors remain open.
- Monday's eruption on Reykjanes peninsula spewed lava and smoke 100 metres into the air.
- No threat to life was posed by the eruption.
- International flight corridors remain open.
- The eruption opened a 4 km fissure from which lava fountains emerged, 3 km away from Grindavik.

## Content

The eruption late [on Monday](https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL1N3DD309&linkedFromStory=true) on the Reykjanes peninsula in southwest Iceland spewed lava and smoke more than 100 metres (330 feet) into the air after weeks of intense seismic activity.

"The eruption does not present a threat to life," an Icelandic government statement said.

"There are no disruptions to flights to and from Iceland and international flight corridors remain open."

Authorities last month [evacuated](https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL1N3CE11M&linkedFromStory=true) the nearly 4,000 inhabitants of the fishing town of Grindavik about 40 km (25 miles) southwest of capital city Reykjavik.

Images and live streaming of the eruption shown by Reuters and others showed bright yellow, orange and red lava in sharp contrast against the night sky.

The eruption opened a 4 km (2.5 mile) fissure from which lava fountains emerged. But at its southernmost point the crack was still 3 km away from Grindavik, Iceland's Meteorological Office said.

"The eruption is taking place north of the watershed, so lava does not flow towards Grindavik," geologist Bjorn Oddson told public broadcaster RUV.

Located between the Eurasian and the North American tectonic plates, among the largest on the planet, Iceland is a seismic and volcanic hot spot because the two plates move in opposite directions.

Volcano erupts in Iceland [https://tmsnrt.rs/474OBVc](https://tmsnrt.rs/474OBVc)

(Reporting by Louise Rasmussen in Copenhagen, Anna Ringstrom in Stockholm and Terje Solsvik in OsloEditing by David Goodman)