A new normal for Iceland's Reykjanes peninsula

"We just have to go with the flow.”

After centuries of peace, the Reykjanes peninsula has woken up with numerous earthquakes, ground inflation and several fissure eruptions - some lasting only a short time. Various management methods have been tried, but now the town of Grindavik has been evacuated. 

"How, then, is the country going to defend itself? How is it going to try and coexist with the temperamental beast that stirs below?"

For Dr. Robin Andrews, this is a new volcanic era and may require new adjustments. This is an excellent piece for Scientific American.

NEW: Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula has entered a new volcanic era, featuring years, decades or even centuries of eruptions. How is the country supposed to react?

For @sciam, I looked into the options—from fighting against lava to moving entire towns.https://t.co/fuVQ6Y0gyD

— Dr Robin George Andrews 🌋☄️ (@SquigglyVolcano) February 13, 2024

As the piece says, airborne threats are also airborne:

Noxious volcanic gases may also be a problem—in particular, sulphur dioxide, which effuses from shallow magma. It can be an irritant at best and lethal at worst, especially if it pools in enclosed environments, such as basements, and displaces the oxygen there. Erupted metal pollutants can also leech into the environment, and fine particles in plumes can “penetrate deep into our airways,” says Evgenia Ilyinskaya, a volcanologist at the University of Leeds in England.