Video Footage of Iceland’s Baby Volcano Shows the Collapse of Its Crater, Releasing ‘Spatter Bombs’ of Lava Into the Air

Iceland is home to 130 volcanoes, most of which are active and can be found in all parts of the country other than Westfjords. Known as the Land of Fire and Ice, Iceland contains a lot of volcanic landscapes which attract thousands of tourists every year. Just recently, a volcano has erupted on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula on July 10, a momentous event marked by the collapse of its crater.

Spectacular Volcanic Eruption

The volcano located on Mount Fagradalsfjall began to erupt on July 17. The activity started when a seismic swarm of about 7,000 earthquakes was monitored near Iceland's capital less than two weeks ago. The underground eruption has opened up a fissure in Reykjanes peninsula as long as 1.7 miles. It has slowed down for almost a week after the initial eruption, but it ramped up on July 18 with a quick major shift in the vent activity.

The Laboratory of Volcanology and Natural Hazards of University of Iceland monitored the event and initially observed that the crater filled up to the brim with lava. Then the fountain of hot molten rocks began throwing spatter bombs beyond the crater rims. A few hours later, a small crack was formed which allowed lava to spill over the opening which ultimately led to the collapse of a section of its edge. As a result, a river of flowing lava was unleashed to the north and west side of the volcano.

This explosion is categorized as a fissure eruption, a volcanic activity which does not normally result in huge flareup or the release of significant amount of ash in the stratosphere. According to the scientists, the temperature of lava which was released from the collapsed crater was about 2,192 degrees Fahrenheit.

Associate professor Ingibjörg Jónsdóttir from the University of Iceland, the instability and collapse of the crater are not unusual in a volcanic eruption. Although it was expected, the exact location and time of this event is not known. The experts plan to keep an eye on the behavior of the erupting volcano driven by the fear that further lava flow could lead to wildfires and worsened air quality in the area.

What Is a Fissure Eruption?

In volcanology, a fissure refers to the elongated crack formed at the surface of the ground where lava erupts. In a fissure eruption, the lava goes out from the magma chamber through a linear volcanic vent. In most cases, this type of eruption does not involve an explosion.

Volcanoes with fissure vents are hard to find from a bird's eye view or when the observer is on the ground. This is due to the fact that some of them measure only a few meters and lay flat on the surface without having caldera to indicate their location. Instead, they appear as a simple crack on the surface of the ground or ocean floor.

Although this type of eruption is usually not explosive, they can also measure many kilometers long. In some cases, they can create huge lava fields that could cover thousands of square miles.

Check out more news and information on Fissures in Science Times.