ICELAND VOLCANOES

As seen in recent eruptions, seismic activity in the country is hotting up. From travel advice to volcano tourism’, here’s what you need to know about visiting

- Ben Clatworthy

It was the ultimate ‘will it, won’t it’ drama: the ground beneath the Reykjanes Peninsula, near Reykjavík, rumbled on for months, teasing the possibility of a volcanic eruption.

In December 2023, after multiple earthquakes, the wait ended in an explosive finale: a couple of miles northeast of the fishing village of Grindavík, an eruption along a 2.5-mile fissure sent lava into the air.

What’s the background? In 2021, after 6,000 years lying dormant, Fagradalsfjall  the volcanic system that erupted in 2023 — sprang back into life with the appearance of a 600ft-long fissure. Until that moment, the Reykjanes Peninsula hadn’t seen an eruption for over 800 years. Three small blasts followed (in 2021, 2022 and the summer of 2023), each producing fountains of fire.

A nine-mile dike (an underground pathway that allows magma to travel towards the surface) on the Reykjanes Peninsula has been found to be the underlying cause, and since then there have been further eruptions that have reached the town of Grindavík. If additional volcanic activity occurs, it’s likely to take place nearby.