Nasa has captured red-hot lava flowing from Iceland’s recent volcanic eruption in stunning satellite images. The Operational Land Imager-2 on Landsat 9 pictured the shot on November 24, showing lava pouring from a 1.8 mile-long fissure in the Sundhnukur crater series on the Reykjanes peninsula.
This eruption, which began on November 20, is the seventh in the area in under a year. Previous eruptions started on August 22, May 29, March 16, February 8, January 14, and December 18 last year.
A swarm of earthquakes signaled the eruption on the evening of November 20, according to the Icelandic Meteorological Office.
Nasa Earth shared a satellite image of the eruption on Wednesday, stating, “A volcanic fissure once again burst open near Iceland’s Blue Lagoon, a popular geothermal spa.”
The lava has flowed east and west from the fissure near Stóra Skógfell peak, eventually reaching and engulfing the parking lot of the Blue Lagoon spa. The popular tourist site and 50 homes in the nearby town of Grindavík, with a population of 3,800, were evacuated. Grindavík has faced repeated evacuations during recent eruptions, with one even destroying several houses.
According to Newsweek, this eruption has shown stronger and longer-lasting activity than previous ones. The Icelandic Meteorological Office reported that lava is flowing at a steady rate of 1,300 cubic meters per second—slower than the 2,500 cubic meters per second during the August eruption.
Volcanologists have mentioned that, unusually, there was no increase in seismic activity before this eruption. The lava is currently flowing east toward Fagradalsfjall.
David Pyle, a professor of Earth sciences at the University of Oxford, told Newsweek that these eruptions could continue for decades or even centuries as tectonic plates slowly pull apart.
Experts warn that if fissures reach Grindavík or erupt underwater, it could lead to more explosive volcanic activity.
