Despite its reputation for safety, Iceland’s position on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between the Eurasian and the North American tectonic plates means it’s highly prone to natural disasters.
Since 2021, a long-dormant volcano just north of Grindavík, a town in the country’s Reykjanes Peninsula, has been erupting, and the eleventh event occurred yesterday morning, leading to evacuations and the closure of the Blue Lagoon.
It hasn’t caused any widespread disruption, but we’ve compiled everything you need to know about travelling to Iceland in case you have a trip booked in the coming days or weeks. Read on for all the information.
Where has the volcano erupted?
For the 11th time since 2021, a volcano in the Reykjanes peninsula in southwest Iceland experienced a fissure eruption, when lava flows from cracks in the earth’s crust. We compiled a guide during the previous eruption events, but this eruption has meant the magma has stretched to 11km long, and the corridor extends 3km further than previous eruptions.
The January 2024 eruption saw damage to homes and roads in Grindavik, a local fishing town, and while there were evacuations of around 4,000 people in late 2023, roughly 40 have returned as residents. However, a hot water pipe in the northern part of the town has broken, which the Icelandic Meteorological Office says means considerable cracking has occurred.
When did the volcano erupt?
At 9.45am local time on April 1, lava and smoke began erupting from the volcano, which prompted the evacuation of areas around Sunddhnúksgíga, including Grindavik and the Blue Lagoon. The region also experienced hundreds of small earthquakes in the lead up to the eruption, and it’s currently under red alert, though activity eased off early yesterday afternoon.
Are further eruptions expected?
Yes. According to the Independent, experts can’t estimate exactly how much longer these eruptions will occur, but it could continue for the coming decades or even centuries.
Have tourists been evacuated?
While this eruption has not affected the Icelandic capital of Reykjavik or flights arriving and departing from the country’s airports, the Blue Lagoon, which is one of Iceland’s most popular tourist attractions, was evacuated because of the eruption and will remain closed until 3pm on Wednesday April 2 as a precaution.
What’s the FCDO’s travel advice?
The ‘safety and security’ page of the Foreign Office’s travel advice for Iceland reads: ‘Recently there has been a series of volcanic eruptions on the Reykjanes peninsula in south-west Iceland, the latest on 1 April. These have affected the town of Grindavik and the area to the north of it. Keflavik International Airport and the road to it is unaffected and operating normally. The capital city, Reykjavik, and the rest of Iceland is not affected by these recent eruptions.’
‘It is likely there will be further eruptions in this location. Monitor local media for updates and always follow the authorities’ advice on travel to the area.’
‘The Government of Iceland monitors any seismic and volcanic activity closely and infrastructure is robustly designed, but not all events can be anticipated and can pose risks to your travel plans including travel delays and cancellations due to rock falls and landslides, sudden flooding and poisonous volcanic gases near eruption sites.’
There’s more information on this page about where to check for the latest alerts.
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