The Iceland volcano erupts after the evacuation of the blue lake

A volcano erupted on the Recianis Peninsula in southwestern Iceland after a nearby town was evacuated and the Blue Lagon spa, a famous tourist destination, was evacuated.

Iceland’s meteorological office said that the eruption began about 09.45 local time (10:45 GMT) north of the small city of Grindavík. Less than an hour later, the rift opened on the ground was 700 meters (2296 feet) and continues to grow.

The explosion occurred after earthquakes hit the area known as Sundhnúk Crate Range around 06:30 local time.

Grindavík and Blue Lagon have already been done to evacuate before the explosion. The roads inside and outside the city remain closed, but flights are not currently affected.

The spa said on its website that Blue Lagon will be closed until Tuesday.

As of 11:20 local time, the Iceland Meteorological Office (IMO) said that the original fissure had spanned south and opened a new crack.

Officials urged anyone left in Grindavík to leave. Earlier on Tuesday, many individuals refused to follow the evacuation order, the Icelandic media reported.

The region’s police chief, Olvar Levixon, told the local media that only about 40 homes had been occupied by residents, after the previous volcanic activity.

Most of the 4000 Grindavík residents were permanently evacuated in November 2023, before the explosions in December 2023, January, February and March 2024.

The International Maritime Organization said that the length of the magma formed on Tuesday under the hole chain is about 11 km (6.8 miles) – the longest measured since November 11, 2023.

Based on the current wind direction, gas pollution will travel from the eruption to the northeast towards the capital area.

Multiple revolutions have occurred in the Rikian Peninsula since 2021.

The last time the peninsula was a period of volcanic activity 800 years ago – and the explosions lasted for decades.

Iceland has 33 active system for the volcano and sits on what is known as the Atlantic Hill chain, which is the border between two of the largest tectonic plates on this planet.