First measurements: 30-40% less than last eruption

The average lava flow of the eruption, which erupted yesterday morning, was about 136 cubic metres per second during the first six hours. These are the results of measurements by the Icelandic National Survey and the Institute of Earth Sciences.

The eruption began at 7.57 am Sunday morning, as first reported on mbl.is, when a short fissure opened southeast of Hagafell.

It extended to the southwest and only to the northeast, and was over one kilometer long at 9.15 am, as stated in the summary of the Earth Sciences Institute.

“Most of it was lying north of the defense wall that has been under construction in the past days, but the southern part penetrated the wall. The lava flow was mostly north of the wall and the lava flowed along it to the southwest.

The lava flowed over Grindavíkurvegur road and the hot water pipe from Svartsengi after midday. At the same time, a short fissure opened up just north of the settlement after midday, and lava has flowed from there to the top of the houses. Several houses have burned.”

Much more than in the eruption in Mt Fagradalsfjall

It is noted that after midday, employees of the Institute of Natural History flew over the area by Garðaflug aircraft and then flew again later in the day.

Land-measuring instruments have already analyzed the land-model from the previous flight. This shows that the lava field was 0.6 square kilometres and that the average flow of lava during the first six hours was about 136 cubic metres per second, with an uncertainty of 15 cubic metres.

“These figures are probably 30-40% of the first 1-2 hours of the eruption in December, but much higher than comparable measurements in the eruptions in Fagradalsfjall in 2021, 2022 and 2023,” the summary says.

There are also indications that things have improved by the day, but the measurements taken this afternoon, as well as the measurements that are expected to be taken tomorrow, will explain the development of the flow of lava.

Hopefully, it will be possible to show, in addition to the development of the lava flow, the results of measurements of gas content.