Reykjavik: A new volcano erupted on Iceland’s southwestern Reykjanes peninsula, the country’s meteorological service said Wednesday, shortly after authorities evacuated the nearby town of Grindavik.
The Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) said the shooting began near the town of Sundhnuksgigar, north of Grindavik, almost three weeks after the end of the previous shooting that had been going on since March 16.
“The explosion volume reached at least 50 meters,” he said.
Iceland’s biggest tourist attraction nearby, the Blue Lagoon geothermal spa, said it had also evacuated its facilities on Wednesday.
The explosion was the fifth on the peninsula since December.
The International Monetary Fund reported “strong tremors” before Wednesday’s eruption.
In addition, 20 million cubic meters of magma is reported to have accumulated in the magma chamber under Swartsengy, home to a power plant that supplies electricity and water for about 30,000 people in the peninsula.
Schwarzenegger’s factory has been evacuated and has been operating remotely since the first explosion in the area in December, with barriers installed to protect it.
Most of the 4,000 residents of the nearby town of Grindavik were permanently evacuated in November before it erupted in December, January, February and March.
During the January eruption, lava flowed into the street in Grindavik, engulfing three houses.
But affected residents have returned to live in areas less at risk of lava flows.
On Monday evening, the Met Office said it had measured “almost 400 earthquakes” in the past day near the seven ridges of the Sundhnuksgigar crater.
