Tag: Iceland

Iceland’s volcanic eruption could be a long hauler

by Jeremie RICHARD ICELAND (AFP) — A volcanic eruption in Iceland has transformed a tranquil green valley into an ominous-looking scene, its first dark secrets beginning to emerge as volcanologists suggest the eruption could last longer than previously thought. Experts had initially predicted that the eruption of the fissure near Mount Fagradalsfjall, just 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the capital Reykjavik, would be brief, likely dying out after a few days. But due to the […]

Thousands flock to Iceland’s erupting volcano

by Jeremie RICHARD FAGRADALSFJALL, Iceland (AFP) — Thousands of curious onlookers have flocked to an erupting volcano in Iceland to marvel at the hypnotic display of glowing red lava, the bravest of them grilling hot dogs and marshmallows over the smoldering embers. The eruption of a fissure near Mount Fagradalsfjall, which began late Friday, was the first in the same volcanic system in about 900 years. The volcano is located only about 40 kilometres (25 […]

Icelandic volcano subsiding after first eruption in 900 years

by Jeremie RICHARD GRINDAVIK, Iceland (AFP) — A volcano that spewed glowing red lava near Iceland’s capital Reykjavik after awakening for the first time in 900 years appeared to be subsiding on Saturday, posing no danger to people, experts said. Streams of red lava bubbled and flowed out of a fissure in a valley in Geldingadalur, close to Mount Fagradalsfjall on the Reykjanes peninsula in southwestern Iceland. As the lava flow slowed under rain showers […]

Iceland braces for potential volcanic eruption

REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AFP) — A small volcanic eruption could be imminent on the southwestern tip of Iceland some 30 kilometres (18 miles) from the capital Reykjavik, authorities said on Wednesday. Tremors signalling a potential eruption were detected on Wednesday afternoon, near Mount Keilir, inactive for the past 800 years, the Icelandic Met Office said. A 5.7-magnitude earthquake was registered in the area last week. “The magma is fracturing and it is so close to the […]

Quake rocks Reykjavik, raises Iceland’s volcano activity

  REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AFP) — A powerful earthquake on Wednesday rocked southwestern Iceland, including the capital Reykjavik, triggering increased volcanic activity but causing no serious injuries or damage, authorities said. The epicentre of the quake was located near Mount Keilir, a small mountain of 378 metres (1,240 feet) on the Reykjanes peninsula, some 30 kilometres (19 miles) south of Reykjavik, authorities added. The US Geological Survey measured one tremor at a magnitude of 5.6 some […]

Giant metallic ‘steed’ traverses Iceland’s threatened glacier

by Jeremie Richard Agence France-Presse LANGJOKULL, Glacier, Iceland (AFP) — Instead of a slow slog on snowshoes, a giant bus sweeps passengers at up to 60 kilometres an hour across Iceland’s second largest glacier, which scientists predict will likely be nearly gone by the end of the century. The red glacier mega bus is 15 metres (50-foot) long and fitted with massive tyres for traction across the powder snow of western Iceland’s vast Langjokull ice […]

Earthquake tremors, volcanic activity rock Iceland

REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AFP) — More than 3,000 tremors have shaken seismographs on the northern coast of Iceland over the past three days, the Icelandic Met Office (IMO) said Monday, as officials also warned of an impending volcanic eruption in the south. Grimsvotn, the most active volcano on the island, appears to be heading for its first eruption since 2011, authorities have warned since mid-June, as high levels of sulphur dioxide indicated the presence of so-called […]

Icelandic volcano swell signals potential eruption

REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AFP) — Small earthquakes and a so-called “inflation” of the mountain, signaling a potential volcanic eruption, have been reported near Iceland’s famous “Blue Lagoon,” local authorities said Monday. The Icelandic Met Office declared a state of uncertainty over the weekend, following days of several smaller earthquakes and swelling of the mountain. Alert levels for aviation were also raised from “green” to “yellow,” defined as when a volcano “is experiencing signs of elevated unrest […]

Iceland expresses hope PHL will cooperate in UN probe into drug war

(Eagle News)–Iceland has expressed hope the Philippines would cooperate in a United Nations probe into the Southeast Asian country’s drug war. The Nordic country made the statement after  President Rodrigo Duterte threatened to sever ties with the country that initiated the resolution seeking the probe, and which was eventually narrowly adopted by the United Nations Human Rights Council. “Icelandic authorities sincerely hope that the Philippine authorities will engage the UN on this and the resolution,” […]

SC chief justice says no reason for foreign countries to interfere in PHL internal affairs

  (Eagle News) — Supreme Court Chief Justice Lucas Bersamin said there is no need for foreign interference in the country’s internal affairs, including the judicial determination of alleged human rights abuses in the Philippine government’s drug war. In a chance interview with reporters on Friday (July19), Bersamin said that on the issue of the Iceland resolution being approved by 18 countries of the 47-member United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), this seemed like a […]

Iceland tries to bring back trees razed by the Vikings

by Jeremie RICHARD REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AFP) — Before being colonized by the Vikings, Iceland was lush with forests but the fearsome warriors razed everything to the ground and the nation is now struggling to reforest the island. The country is considered the least forested in Europe; indeed, forests in Iceland are so rare, or their trees so young, that people often joke that those lost in the woods only need to stand up to find […]

Least forested country in Europe – Iceland tries to bring back trees razed by the Vikings

  by Jeremie RICHARD Agence France Presse REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AFP) — Before being colonized by the Vikings, Iceland was lush with forests but the fearsome warriors razed everything to the ground and the nation is now struggling to reforest the island. The country is considered the least forested in Europe; indeed, forests in Iceland are so rare, or their trees so young, that people often joke that those lost in the woods only need to […]