Toxic gases from a new Icelandic volcano threaten a village near the eruption site and may spread to the capital Reykjavik.
Iceland’s meteorological office expects the gases to spread to Vogar, a village of 1,000 inhabitants located about 5 kilometers northeast of the Fagradalsfjall volcano. The gas could also spread to Reykjavik, 40 kilometers away, on Saturday.
The concentration of sulfur dioxide can reach 2,600 micrograms per cubic meter, which is considered unhealthy for the more vulnerable people, according to Iceland’s environmental authorities.
On Friday, measurements showed that the activity in the volcanic fissure has halved and that the fissure itself has been reduced from 360 meters to 130 meters in length.
Although the eruption is more powerful than a similar eruption last year, the lava flow has now been reduced from 32 cubic meters per second to 18.
The eruption began on the Reykjanes peninsula south of Reykjavik on Wednesday. Over 4,200 people have made the 14-kilometer journey on foot from the nearest car park to see the phenomenon.
The Fagradalsfjall volcano had an eruption last year that lasted for six months. Clear movement in the magma below the earth’s surface and many small earthquakes indicated earlier this week that a new eruption was imminent between the volcanoes Fagradalsfjall and Keilir.
Source: © NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayNews
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