How ‘lava chasers’ flocked to see Iceland volcano eruption despite warnings

A volcano erupted in southwest Iceland on late Monday (18 December), sending plumes of smoke high up in the sky and spewing lava onto the landscape. The eruption which opened a 4 km fissure on the Reykjanes peninsula began at 22:17 GMT (3:47 am IST). This comes after about 4,000 residents of a nearby town were evacuated last week.

Several tourists flocked to the site to witness spectacular scenes that occurred nearly four kilometers from the fishing town of Grindavik. The town was evacuated last month after strong seismic activity damaged homes, triggering fears of a volcanic eruption.

Let’s take a look at how tourists have reached the site of eruption in Iceland and why volcano tourism is on the rise.

‘Something from a movie’

Tourists went to witness the volcanic eruption in Iceland despite danger warnings.

According to Daily Mail, scores of cars were seen queuing up to get close to the area.

“I’m very excited to be here in this place, in this time, just being able to see this natural phenomenon… It’s just something from a movie,” Robert Donald Forrester III, a tourist from the United States, was quoted as saying by Independent.

Livestreamed footage of the eruption showed lava of a deep orange colour flowing out of a gash in the ground, with red smoke billowing in the air. An image captured a key Icelandic highway in the area illuminated with white headlights from cars heading towards the crater, reported Daily Mail.

Four boys told local media that it is their “hobby” to visit areas reporting volcanic eruptions in Reykjanes. “We are trying to see the eruption. Unfortunately, we didn’t get any closer. It’s a hobby that we’ve had for four years, attending every single eruption, and we’ll continue to do so,” they said, as per Daily Mail. 

Tourists did not heed the warning of the authorities. “This is not a tourist attraction and you must watch it from a great distance,” Vidir Reynisson, head of Iceland’s Civil Protection and Emergency Management, told Icelandic broadcaster RUV.

Iceland’s Ministry of the Environment issued several warnings to those considering getting close to the volcano. “Think about someone other than yourself and follow the guidelines of the public safety. Please,” a spokesman reportedly said.

This “is not considered tourist-friendly,” Magnus Tumi Gudmundsson, a professor of geophysics at the University of Iceland, said.

How bad is the eruption?

Lava from the large volcanic eruption appeared to be flowing away from Grindavik. Its flows had plunged from 200-250 cubic meters per second in the initial hours of the eruption to nearly its quarter by Tuesday morning, reported Reuters.

Gudmundsson, who flew over the site on Tuesday morning onboard an coast guard research flight, told RUV that the intensity of the eruption will keep falling, however, it is not known how long it would last. “It can be over in a week, or it could take quite a bit longer,” Associated Press quoted him as saying.

The Iceland government has said the eruption does not “present a threat to life”. Flights are unlikely to be affected this time unlike 2010 when ash clouds from eruptions at the Eyafjallajokull volcano in the south of Iceland had led to grounding of some 100,000 flights in Europe and beyond, as per Reuters. 

“There are no disruptions to flights to and from Iceland and international flight corridors remain open,” the government’s statement added.

The eruption evoked mixed emotions among the locals.

Aoalheiour Halldorsdottir, who lives in Sandgeroi which is about 20km from Grindavik, told BBC that she saw the eruption from her home. “It was crazy to see it with my own eyes. We have had volcano explosions before, but this was the first time I got really scared”.

Many Grindavik residents, who evacuated the town last month, were still living in temporary accommodation and do not know when they will be able to return.

The latest eruption was believed to be more serious than the volcanic activity on the Reykjanes peninsula in March 2021.

Why is there a rise in volcano tourism?

Volcano tourism has seen a boost in the last decade owing to social media and “lava chasers” who seek “legendary, photogenic smoking spots”, according to National Geographic.

There are over 1,500 active volcanoes in 81 countries. Iceland has reported a surge in volcano tourism over the years.

Nestled between the Eurasian and the North American tectonic plates, Iceland is a seismic and volcanic hotspot as the two plates shift in opposite directions. It sees eruptions roughly every four to five years. The Nordic island has 33 active volcano systems, the highest in Europe.

In March 2021, over 356,000 tourists visited the Geldingadalur valley to watch the eruption from the crater of the Fagradalsfjall volcano in Iceland. Recently, interests grew over Litli-Hrútur, dubbed ‘Earth’s newest baby volcano’, since its creation in July in the Reykjanes Peninsula.

However, eruptions can be dangerous as they often produce poisonous gases – like SO2 (sulphur dioxide). Still, thrill-seekers continue to visit volcano sites to witness the spectacular natural phenomena.

“They’re one of the most primeval forces of nature that we can observe. You feel the power of Mother Earth near this lifeblood of the planet,” Benjamin Hayes, chief of interpretation and education for Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island, told National Geographic.

With inputs from agencies