Reykjanes

The 2023-2025 Sundhnúkagígar eruptions represent the first volcanic activity on the Reykjanes system in approximately 800 years — the last onshore eruptions were in the 1240s.

The town of Grindavík (population ~3,800) was evacuated in November 2023 ahead of the eruption series, in one of Iceland's most dramatic modern civil protection operations.

Lava from the eruptions has entered the outskirts of Grindavík, destroying buildings and raising questions about whether the town can be safely reoccupied.

The Svartsengi geothermal power plant, which supplies heating and electricity to the entire Reykjanes region, sits within a few kilometers of the active fissures.

The Blue Lagoon, Iceland's most-visited tourist attraction with over 700,000 annual visitors, has been periodically closed due to its proximity to the eruptions.

Scientists at IMO believe the current eruption series may continue for years to decades, based on comparison with the 13th-century Reykjanes Fires that lasted approximately 60 years.

Keflavík International Airport — Iceland's main air gateway — lies only about 20 km north of the active volcanic zone.

The 1783 submarine eruption produced the ephemeral island of Nyey, which was briefly claimed for Danish sovereignty before wave erosion destroyed it.

Reykjanes is the only place on Earth where the Mid-Atlantic Ridge — the boundary between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates — is accessible on land.

The VEI 4 eruption of 1226-1227 was the largest historically recorded event on the Reykjanes system.

A persistent magma sill at approximately 4-5 km depth beneath Svartsengi has been feeding repeated dike injections to the surface during the current eruption series.

Defensive earth and lava barriers have been constructed to protect the Svartsengi power plant and Blue Lagoon — one of the first uses of engineered lava flow diversion in Iceland since the 1973 Heimaey eruption.