Volcanic eruption has started
mbl.is
A volcanic eruption has started on the Reykjanes peninsula, the fourth in three years.
A tight sequence of strong earthquakes started on the Reykjanes peninsula around 9 pm this evening. The seismic activity is still in full motion and is confined to an area with a row of old craters that lies north east of Grindavik.
Unverified data indicates that the strongest earthquake in the series was of magnitude 4.2 at 9:03 PM.
Below is live footage from the mbl.is webcams on location.
Updated 22:46
A volcanic eruption has begun on the Reykjanes peninsula and volcanologist Thorvaldur Thordarson tells us that at first glance it is the worst-case scenario. The eruption appears to be at Hagafell, above Grindavik.
"This looks like the worst place for this to happen. West of Hagafell mountain, the area behind it and then probably through the Sundhnukar row of craters, which are just north of it. There are super-high plumes of magma. Now it's a total guess, but the highest lava plumes are probably 150 metres. This means that the lava is flowing very fast from the crater," he says, adding, "
"This may be close to the worst case imaginable. Unfortunately."
