The images taken from above are impressive, documenting the consequences of a huge wave of lava erupting from a volcano in Iceland in recent weeks, covering an important road. Videos released on social media – such as those shot by Icelandic photographer Vilhelm Gunnarsson – show the incandescent lava slowly advancing along Grindavikurvegur, the main road to the town of Grindavík, closed due to the eruption and lava flow. According to the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO), as reported by the CNNthis is the fifth time that lava has crossed the road since the series of eruptions began in late 2023. The IMO also said that the lava continued to flow northwest along a channel similar to the one who crossed the road last Saturday and warned that lava continues to accumulate southeast of the volcano, with the possibility of it moving into the area in the coming days.
The consequences
«These flows advance slowly, you don’t really see them moving. They collapse in on themselves and advance that way. Even though the core looks black, it is still molten,” explains volcanologist Meline Payet-Clerc from the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Iceland. The same stretch of road had already been swallowed up in February and March this year, only to be repaired and reopened both times. Initially, lava flows had severed two of three roads leading to the city of Grindavík, steadily advancing along a defensive barrier built to protect the city and key infrastructure from destruction. However, the situation has since improved, as the mayor of the city clarified. Grindavík remains without electricity, but hot and cold water continues to circulate with no apparent damage to the pipe system.
The town of Grindavík
Grindavík is a small town of around 3,800 inhabitants that had been largely evacuated in view of the eruptions that occurred in December. Residents and workers who remain in the city have been asked to leave while they can, although some have refused to leave. Iceland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reassured them that there had been no disruption to domestic or international flights. Meanwhile, residents can still access the city via alternative routes from the east and west.
