Iceland is one of the most volcanically active regions around the world, being home to more than over 30 currently active volcanoes, making it one of the most active volcanic sites in the world despite its relatively small size. This is due to its position above a geological hotspot, where hot magma plumes from below cause volcanic activity.
The effect of this globally is well known, recalling the headlines from the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull, with its smoke clouds causing major disruption across northern Europe and beyond.
This activity is present across the island and its many peninsulas, one of those being the Reykjanes peninsulas. This week, a volcanic eruption affected the town of Grindavik and cut off a road to the tourist attraction known as ‘The Blue Lagoon’.
This is due to Iceland’s position on a boundary between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates, large subterranean structures that underpin the globes' surface. These plates move apart very slowly year-on-year but go through periods of quicker and slower movement, and scientists believe this period of quick movement is happening now and causing the eruptions.
Geologists believe that based on the rocks in the region, a pattern of thousands of years of inactivity followed by centuries of activity exists and could continue.
The primary concern is anticipating the scale and location of these new eruptions to see if the activity is expected to move from Grindavik to nearby less populated areas. It’s in the most densely populated region of Iceland, with 70% of the population existing within a roughly 40km radius of the eruption site, with key infrastructure sites such as airports and power stations nearby.
Policymakers and Scientists are collaborating to prevent as much damage as possible to the Icelandic people, but can only wait on data from future eruptions to see if a new volcanic age is dawning.