The eruption in Geldingadalir, now soon two weeks old, shows no signs of weakening. Activity has been building a slowly growing cone around the two active vents in the center, which undergoes constant modifications by accumulating spatter and smaller and larger collapses.
The lava flows continue to fill the valley and might soon start overflowing into one of the adjacent ones; there are even unconfirmed reports that it might have already started to do so.
In the meanwhile, the photo taken on 31 March does beautifully illustrate how the eruption has modified the local topography:
Amazing photo by Þráinn Kolbeinsson @mblfrettir showing the tiny Reykjanes eruption slowly filling the Geldingadalir valley – new landscape within the old onehttps://t.co/xevjgzvwJH pic.twitter.com/qz5kiuZZuW
— Sandra Snæbjörnsdóttir (@sandrasnaebj) March 31, 2021
Icelandic scientists from the Met Office reported:
The erupted lava „is basaltic and highly fluid with little explosive activity. It is a very small eruption and the lava flow has been steady at 5-7 m3/s since its onset. Currently the extent of the lava field is within Geldingadalur but if the eruption keeps ongoing at a similar rate, it is modeled that the lava will flow east towards Merardalur valley.
If the volcano continues to erupt it could eventually end up being categorized as a shield volcano. Shield volcanoes are generally formed over long time periods with lava fields extending from a few to several kilometers around its source. There is no way to tell how long the eruption will last.“
„The current magma is rich in MgO (8.5%) which indicates that it is from depths of around 17-20 km. There has been constant gas pollution close to the eruption site, spatially determined by local wind conditions. Gases can accumulate to life-threatening levels in certain weather conditions. There have been no indications of significant tectonic movements since the eruption started. There is currently no indication of new openings at other locations along the magma injection path.“
Stunning images of the eruption abound on the web in numerous places, such as:
A volcano in Iceland has been erupting for 10 days, miles from Reykjavik — the first eruption in the area in about 800 years.
Thousands are turning up to see the lava flows, which don’t appear to be stopping (some are even cooking food over the lava). pic.twitter.com/Bxz21fILyA
— AJ+ (@ajplus) March 29, 2021