Lava piling up around the craters

The eruption at Sundhnúkagígar crater row continued last night with similar intensity as yesterday. The lava flow was slightly eastwards last night but it will be examined later today. There has been very little seismic activity in the area.

The Icelandic Met Office met with emergency responders in Grindavík, including the local and regional authorities, at eight o’clock.

“We’ll then hear more about what people on the ground say about the magma flow,” says Einar Hjörleifsson, a natural hazard specialist at the Icelandic Met Office.

Two to three active craters

He says that the lava flow is mostly around the two to three craters that are active at Mt Sýlingarfell and Mt Hagafell. One crater is in the south and two are in the north.

“The lava is piling up there,” he says.

When asked about the flow of lava towards the Southstrandarvegur Road, he says that the lava flowing southwards has accumulated into a pond. No flow has yet been seen towards the road, but the visibility has not been good last night.

“We need to keep in touch with people in the area and keep a close eye on webcams when visibility allows.”

When asked, he also says it is difficult to determine the presence of inflation in the area.

Gas pollution spreads to the south

In connection with the pollution from the eruption, it is said that there will be a northerly direction today and gas pollution will spread to the south. There is a chance of pollution for a while in Grindavík.

The amount of gas types from the eruption site is quite uncertain. You can follow the measurements of various gas types in real-time on the webpage loftgaedi.is.