Authorities Issue Warning Over 'Poisonous' Volcano Eruption

An erupting volcano in Iceland has prompted warnings from authorities for tourists to keep a safe distance from the lava and dangerous toxic gasses spewing out of the fissure.

The Fagradalsfjall volcano, located in an uninhabited valley about 20 miles southwest of Reykjavik, began erupting on Monday afternoon following thousands of earthquakes in the area. The volcano had been inactive for over 800 years prior to erupting in 2021. Another eruption followed in 2022. This latest eruption occurred just 11 months after the last officially ended.

"The police, after counsel from scientists, have decided to restrict access to the eruption site due to enormous and life-threatening toxic gas pollution," said the Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management.

Neither of the previous eruptions caused any damage, though a no-fly zone was initially established in 2021 when the incident began occurring. As of Tuesday, the Keflavik Airport, Iceland’s international air traffic hub, remained open.

When the volcano first blew in 2021 it produced breathtaking views of lava flows for several months, drawing in hundreds of thousands of spectators. This is perhaps why officials were quick to warn people to stay away.

"Gas pollution is high around the eruption and dangerous," the Icelandic Meteorological Office said, according to The Associated Press. "Travelers are advised not to enter the area until responders have had a chance to evaluate conditions."

While this week's eruption was initially more explosive than the previous two, scientists said that the fissure and the volume of the eruption had shrunk by Tuesday morning. 

"This has become a small eruption, which is very good news,” University of Iceland geophysics professor Magnús Tumi Guðmundsson said in an interview. "[The eruption could] certainly last a long time, but luckily we’re not looking at a continuation of what we saw in the first few hours.”

In either case, volcanic activity in Iceland is a pretty regular occurrence. The country is located above a volcanic hot spot in the North Atlantic, and averages eruptions every four to five years.