Volcano Watch 2023: A First Look At The New Eruption North Of Grindavík

An eruption began on the Reykjanes peninsula December 18, 2023, at 22:17 in the area between Sýlingarfell and Hagafell, just north of the town of Grindavík and east of the Blue Lagoon and Svartsengi Power Plant. The eruption is estimated to be 10 times larger than the three previous eruptions in the area and it is estimated that the lava flow was at about 200 cubic meters a second at the beginning of the eruption. Soon after the eruption started, a 4 km long fissure had opened up. The volume of lava flow diminished as the eruption progressed and by the time of our visit on Dec. 19, lava flow had consolidated to five vents along the length of the original fissure, or about one third of the original length. The Reykjavík Grapevine’s publisher Jón Trausti Sigurðarson visited the eruption site with videographer Art Bicnick. The town of Grindavík was evacuated on November 10, 2023, and the area has been closed off to the public ever since so very few people were in the area at the start of the eruption. The area remains closed. English subtitles can be turned on by clicking the CC (closed captions) button beneath the video. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Follow The Reykjavík Grapevine for the latest updates on the situation: Read our July 2023 feature about the current volcanic cycle the Reykjanes peninsula is in: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ SHOW SUPPORT Iceland’s Search and Rescue teams are on the ground in Grindavík and its surroundin area and operate solely on donations. You can support them here: Support the Grapevine’s reporting by becoming a member of our High Five Club: You can also support the Grapevine by shopping in our online store: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ WHO ARE WE? The Reykjavík Grapevine is an alternative monthly magazine, bringing you all the news and views on Icelandic society, music, travel, culture and more. #rvkgrapevine Join our YouTube channel for perks on perks: