A trepidatious Iceland has waited for this moment for over a month: a large crack in the ground has started to spew up lava. In mid-November, hundreds of tremors—earthquakes that portended the eruptions to come—forced the evacuation of the nearby Icelandic village of Grindavík and at least one famous tourist destination: Iceland’s Blue Lagoon.
The volcano finally erupted Monday night, at 10:17 p.m. local time. The estimated initial lava flow was about 100 to 200 cubic meters per second, which according to the Icelandic Meteorological Office is much greater than previous eruptions on the peninsula in recent years. By Tuesday midday, the eruption’s power had decreased. Here are some fearsome—and awesome—photos of the eruption.
