Lava flows continue to decrease, flights not affected in Iceland

Scientists anticipated the eruption of a volcano in southwestern Iceland for weeks, so it was no surprise when it spewed lava on Monday night. The region had been active for more than two years and thousands of small earthquakes rattled the area in recent weeks.

Here is a look at what happened and what may be ahead.

Lava flows continue to decrease

Lava flows from a volcano in Iceland were slowing on Wednesday, the Icelandic Metrological Office said, as the eruption looked set to spare a nearby town that was evacuated following weeks of earthquakes.

The eruption in the Svartsengi volcanic system might end over the weekend or next week or lava flows could continue at a slow rate for weeks or months, similar to what happened at the nearby Fagradalsfjall system in 2021, Halldor Geirsson, associate professor at the Institute of Earth Sciences at the University of Iceland, told Reuters.

Flights are not affected

None of the recent eruptions on the Reykjanes Peninsula caused damage or disruptions to flights, despite the area's proximity to the country's main Keflavik Airport.

And though Monday's eruption was larger and more powerful than those in recent years, forecasters and scientists say it's unlikely to impact air travel.

Many still recall the huge disruptions to international aviation in 2010, when a different Icelandic volcano, the Eyjafjallajokull, spewed giant clouds of ash high into the atmosphere over Europe. About 100,000 flights were grounded, millions of international travelers stranded and air travel was halted for days, because of concerns the fine ash could damage jet engines.

Experts say the location and features of this eruption mean that it isn't expected to produce much ash or cause a similar scale of disruption. AccuWeather, a U.S.-based weather forecasting firm, said on Tuesday that initial information shows no ash cloud has yet been observed.

Sam Mitchell, a volcanologist at the University of Bristol, says Monday's eruption is very different to Eyjafjallajokull's in 2010, when "a large explosive eruption under a glacier produced a very large cloud and very fine ash in the atmosphere when the wind direction was pointing towards mainland Europe."

Volcano erupts in Iceland

A volcano erupted late on Monday in southwest Iceland, spewing lava and smoke through a 4-kilometer fissure. The volcano is about 30 kilometers southwest of Iceland's capital Reykjavik. Increased seismic activity last month had prompted the evacuation of nearby Grindavik town.

Scientists say that there is no current threat that the lava will reach the town of Grindavik, the Blue Lagoon or key structures like a nearby power plant. The residents from the area have been evacuated and most surrounding roads remain closed.

Iceland is one of Earth's most volcanically active areas, with 32 active volcanic sites. It averages an eruption every four to five years – though the frequency has increased closer to every 12 months since 2021.

(With input from AP and Reuters)