Grindavík
Grindavík (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈkrɪntaˌviːk] (
listen)) is a fishing town on the southern part of the Southern Peninsula in Iceland.
Grindavíkurbær | |
|---|---|
.JPG) Skyline of Grindavíkurbær | |
 Coat of arms | |
 Location of Grindavíkurbær | |
  Grindavíkurbær | |
| Coordinates: 63°50′N 22°26′W / 63.833°N 22.433°W | |
| Country | Iceland |
| Region | Southern Peninsula |
| Constituency | Southwest Constituency |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Fannar Jónasson |
| Area | |
| • Total | 425 km2 (164 sq mi) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 3,669[1] |
| • Density | 6.80/km2 (17.6/sq mi) |
| Postal code | 240 |
| Municipal number | 2300 |
| Website | grindavik |
It is one of the few towns with a harbor on the southern coast of this peninsula. Most of the people in Grindavík work in the fishing industry. The Blue Lagoon, one of Iceland's most famous tourist attractions, is located 5 kilometres (3 mi) from the town center.
In November 2023, with an increasing and severe seismic activity, a state of emergency was declared and Grindavík was evacuated, because a magma tunnel was formed under the town and there is a risk that it could cause a volcanic eruption in the form of a fissure vent in the town.[2]
On 18 December 2023, at around 22:00 local time (GMT), the volcano erupted as a fissure vent, as expected, which was 4 kilometres (2 mi) long. The volcanic eruption was 3 kilometres (2 mi) northeast of Grindavík.[3] Lava fountains, up to 100 metres (330 ft) high, could be seen from Iceland's capital, Reykjavík. Authorities said they were highly prepared.[4] The volcano erupted again on February 8 for the third time since December, this time at the edge of the town, and the lava flow destroyed a few buildings and infrastructure. The residents of Grindavík had remained evacuated.[5] On February 20, the residents were allowed to return to their homes, but on March 2 Grindavík was again evacuated because of new seismic activity.[6] On March 16, a fourth eruption took place near Grindavík, near the site of the first eruption, which is continuing since.
Twin towns – sister cities
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References
change- ↑ "Iceland warns likelihood of volcanic eruption is significant after hundreds of earthquakes". CBS News. 14 November 2023.
- ↑ France-Presse, Agence (12 November 2023). "Iceland: experts predict feared volcanic eruption could destroy town near Reykjavik". The Guardian.
- ↑ Ward, Mitchell McCluskey, Taylor (2023-12-18). "Volcano erupts on Iceland's Reykjanes peninsula". CNN. Retrieved 2023-12-19.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ↑ Moses, Claire (2023-12-18). "After Weeks of Warnings, Iceland Volcano Erupts in Plumes of Fire". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-12-19.
- ↑ di Marco, Marco (8 February 2024). "Volcano in south-western Iceland erupts for third time since December". The Irish News. Associated Press. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
- ↑ "Likely that magma flow has stopped for time being; Grindavík & Blue Lagoon evacuated". Ruv.is. 2 March 2024. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
- ↑ "Vinabæir". grindavik.is (in Icelandic). Grindavík. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
Other websites
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- Official website (in Icelandic)