Iceland’s 2023 Volcanic Eruption – What You Need to Know

Some of you might have heard that we had another volcanic eruption that started last week. Well, to be fair it is a continuation of eruptions that have been happening the last couple of years on the Reykjanes Peninsula. We’ve now experienced three volcanic eruptions three years in a row. All of them are being labeled as “tourist” eruptions because they can be visited, and they pose no harm to important infrastructure or towns. I plan to share a brief update about the eruption and what we know so far. If other significant changes happen, I will for sure publish more information. How This Volcanic Eruption is like the Ones in 2021 & 2022 Similar to the other eruptions in 2021 and 2022, we experienced many earthquakes before any lava was seen. There were somewhere around 10,000 earthquakes reported and the largest of those was on Sunday, July 9th, which was classified as an M5.2. It was felt across the country, which is incredible. I distinctly remember feeling it. I jumped out of bed and said “the eruption is coming!” Well, the eruption started on July 10th at 4:40 PM not far from the previous ones in the last couple of years. It’s a fissure eruption and scientist have stated that these types of eruptions are normally most powerful at the beginning and then taper off before ending. However, no one knows how long this one will last. Maybe it is just getting started or maybe it is soon to finish. I know many people hope for the first option, but I like to manage expectations. They are saying this eruption is much stronger than the other two so that is giving some people a glimmer of hope that it will continue for quite some time. How to Visit The Latest Volcanic Eruption One fascinating thing about the location of this eruption is that it is in a flatter area. Granted, there is a lot of lava rock, moss, and rugged terrain but you don’t have to hike up steep inclines to get there. The catch though is that you do have to walk quite far. Currently, it is a 20 km or 12.4 mile hike round trip from the designated parking lot to the volcano site. That does not include time at the site watching the eruption. You can expect to take between 3 to 4 hours roundtrip to walk there. You might be there an additional hour, or more, depending on how long you want to be there. Needless to say, it would be a long day of exploring. There are 4x4 roads in this area but only authorized vehicles are allowed to drive there now because of safety reasons. Dangerous Wildfires Caused by the Volcanic Eruption It’s interesting to me that the amazing weather we’ve been having lately has played a role in the volcano site being potentially dangerous for visitors. We’ve had bright, sunny days with relatively warm temperatures for over a week and a half (sort of unheard of in Iceland), and due to that the moss near the eruption is very dry. Authorities have been working around the clock to put out wildfires from the moss catching fire due to the hot lava. Unfavorable wind conditions resulted in heinous gases being pushed in the direction of the walking path and all the way to the parking lot. People were inhaling the gases and not feeling well. Bringing a gas mask is a great idea but just know that it is best to go on a day where the wind is pushing the pollution away from you. Due to the wildfires and people at the volcano site acting foolish by getting too close to molten hot lava, authorities closed the site for 4-days until the conditions were better. So, from July 13th until the 17th (which is the same day I am recording this episode) access to the volcano site was prohibited. Alternative Ways to See the Volanic Eruption in Iceland I did not go straight to the volcano when it erupted because I wanted to see what authorities had to sa...