Icelandic volcano previously dormant for 800 years erupting again
UC geologist tells ABC News the eruption created a slow-moving lava flow
ABC News talked to a University of Cincinnati geosciences professor about the seventh eruption of an Icelandic volcano that prompted new evacuations and closures in a coastal hamlet.
Residents in Grindavik evacuated the town again Wednesday after a nearly two-mile-long fissure opened up, spewing lava. The lava threatened a world famous site called the Blue Lagoon.
UC College of Arts and Sciences Professor Thomas Algeo told ABC News that the eruption comes from a rift activity volcano in which deep fissures are pulled apart through the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. This differs from conical volcanoes that can have explosive eruptions.
Algeo said the eruption is far less dangerous than other types because it creates slower-moving basaltic flows of lava.
"It's a style of volcanic activity that is effusive, slow flowing, not violently eruptive, like would be the case with a subduction zone volcanic system" Algeo told ABC News.
The eruption is the seventh there in the past year after sitting dormant for more than 800 years.
Featured image at top: Visitors admire a volcanic eruption outside Grindavik, Iceland, in August. Officials say the volcano erupted for the seventh time this week. Photo/Maria Semenaka
UC Professor of Geosciences Thomas Algeo stands in front of rock cores. He studies some of Earth's biggest natural calamities. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Marketing + Brand
Related Stories
FAA turns to AI to reform air traffic control
October 6, 2026
WKRC Local 12 turned to an aerospace engineering professor at the University of Cincinnati to explain the risks and benefits of a proposal by the Federal Aviation Administration to use artificial intelligence to revamp air traffic control in the United States.
UC launches Center for Environmental Engagement
October 5, 2026
UC’s College of Arts and Sciences is launching the Center for Environmental Engagement (CEE), a new interdisciplinary initiative focused on supporting communities that face disproportionate environmental risks. Faculty, students, community partners and environmental practitioners will work together to develop solutions to complex environmental challenges. The center’s mission is to serve the public by connecting communities with resources, subject matter expertise and community-engaged scholarship.
Digging into the bedrock of Cincinnati
October 5, 2026
Cincinnati magazine turns to University of Cincinnati Professor Carlton Brett to explain what Cincinnati was like as a shallow sea during the Ordovician period.