Iceland is seething

Iceland is raining debris and ash

On Thursday evening, the sixth volcanic eruption in nine months began on the North Atlantic island.(Bild: AP)

In Iceland, vast quantities of lava are once again bubbling up from the earth. Earthquakes were also felt. "The ground opened up like a zipper," said one journalist, as a network of shimmering orange lava veins poured over cooled volcanic rock from previous eruptions.

This time, the glowing stream of liquid rock did not initially appear to be flowing towards the fishing village of Grindavik, located around 40 kilometers southwest of the capital Reykjavik. However, it is still too early to give the all-clear, experts warned after a coastguard inspection flight.

During an eruption in January, several houses on the northern outskirts of the 4000-inhabitant community were caught up in the lava masses and destroyed.

A livestream from radio station RUV showed lava gushing out of a long fissure in the earth on the Reykjanes peninsula southwest of Reykjavik.(Bild: AP)

Flight operations continue
The island's international airport in Keflavik is also located on the Reykjanes Peninsula. However, as with the previous eruptions, flight operations continued undisturbed. Take-offs and landings were not hindered by the volcanic eruption and the gas clouds.

The sixth volcanic eruption in nine months began on the North Atlantic island on Thursday evening.(Bild: AP)

Series of eruptions could last for decades
There have now been six volcanic eruptions in the sparsely populated area since December 2023 alone. The last such eruption occurred at the end of May. Researchers assume that the current series of eruptions could continue for decades. After each eruption, the situation often calmed down again after just a few days.

The Icelandic Meteorological Office has warned of an impending eruption in recent weeks. Recently, the number of earthquakes in the area has increased continuously, while more and more magma has accumulated under the earth's surface - this time even more than during the last eruption in May.