2y ago

After Weeks of Warnings, Iceland Volcano Erupts in Plumes of Fire

www.nytimes.com

While Monday’s eruption was not unexpected, it was larger than volcanologists had been predicting and took place not far from an evacuated town and a power plant.

18 comments

Does anyone think a volcano in iceland should be spewing icy wind instead?
- Would that mean Greenland volcanoes should spew leaves and grass?
  
  And volcanoes in Finland spew fins...
  What would come out of a Disneyland volcano?
- Cryovolcanism is a thing, but not on earth.
  
  That is pretty cool. I mean cold. I mean freezing.
Iceland has one of the world’s most effective volcanic preparedness measures,
Is that because there are enough volcanoes for everyone to have their own? It is like Iceland takes Nordic socialism and even applies it to volcanos.
- From what I understand, it's just that Iceland is a geologically active zone and had earthquakes and volcanoes for centuries. So they are pretty much used to it. They also make some positive use of it by harnessing geothermal energy (from what I've heard).
  
  They also make some positive use of it by harnessing geothermal energy (from what I've heard).
  Japan on the other hand...
  
  Yes iceland is literally on the fault between two plates. The island is being pulled apart. But socialized volcanos are way funnier.
- I'd like my own volcano too!
  
  Go on Iceland Oprah?
This is the best summary I could come up with:
The location of the fissure, which is some 2.5 miles long and growing quickly, is not far from the Svartsengi Power Plant and the town of Grindavík, which was evacuated last month because of heightened seismic activity, leading to concerns than an eruption was likely.
In the initial assessment Monday night, volcanologists had said that the eruption had occurred in one of the worst possible locations, posing a significant and immediate threat to both the evacuated town and the geothermal power plant.
Lava is currently flowing just 2.5 kilometers north of Grindavík, or 1.6 miles, according to Kristín Jonsdottir, the head of the volcanic activity department at the Icelandic Meteorological Office.
However large the eruption, with the town of Grindavík evacuated, it currently poses no risk to people, a police official, Ulfar Ludviksson, told reporters.
The Blue Lagoon, one of Iceland’s top tourist destinations and located nearby, had reopened for guests on Sunday as concern that an eruption was imminent had diminished.
The authorities raised the aviation alert to orange, because a volcanic eruption could pose a risk to aircraft flying in the North Atlantic if ash spewed into the sky.
The original article contains 682 words, the summary contains 191 words. Saved 72%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!

18 comments