State of Emergency in Iceland as Volcanic Activity Resumes

A volcano system in southwestern Iceland erupted on Thursday, February 8, prompting a state of emergency in the region.

According to Iceland’s meteorology agency, seismic activity began to shake the region around Mount Sylingarfell around 5:30 Thursday morning, and the eruption began about 30 minutes later.

Icelandic Civil Defense images taken from a coast guard helicopter show the extent of the eruption on the Reykjanes Peninsula early Thursday morning and later Thursday.

Around noon on Thursday, Vidir Reynisson, the director of Iceland’s civil defense agency, told reporters the eruption was producing more lava than expected and that it was threatening infrastructure critical to the entire peninsula.

By Thursday night, the civil defense agency said the intensity of eruptions had decreased but asked residents to use hot water and electricity sparingly until repairs could be conducted on Friday. Credit: Icelandic Civil Defense via Storyful

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