Residents of Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula faced even more destruction this week as they faced the third volcanic eruption since December.
Around 5:30 a.m. local time, an explosion opened a two-mile fissure that sent plumes of lava flying up to 165 feet into the air.
Now, an eerie recording has revealed the sounds that warned the volcano was about to erupt once again.
Seismic activity recorded by Northwestern University’s Earthtunes system reveals the ominous groans and clicks that preceded the explosion.
And you can even hear the terrifying sound of the Earth opening up as the devastating eruption took place.
Residents of Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula faced even more destruction this week as they faced the third volcanic eruption since December.
Earthtunes, an app created by Northwestern University, captures the seismic activity that led to the explosion
The eruption has sent large amounts of lava flowing over the terrain, destroying everything in its path.
But before it crossed the Earth, it was preceded by weeks of increasing seismic activity.
The Icelandic Meteorological Office reported that in the week leading up to February 5, 200 earthquakes occurred in the eruption zone.
This was caused by the magma chamber beneath the volcano refilling and increasing pressure.
The Meteorological Office estimated that before the eruption there were nine million cubic meters of magma in the underground reservoir.
This audio recording condenses the 24 hours of seismic activity preceding the explosion into a format audible to humans.
Normally, noises from seismic activity in the Earth’s crust are too low in frequency to be picked up by human ears.
But by condensing an entire day of recording into just a minute and a half, the pitch increases to a point where you can hear the movement of the Earth.
Pressure from magma trapped beneath the earth burst into a two-mile fissure that spewed lava into the air.
The lava has already reached a major hot water pipe (pictured), which can be seen exploding and turning into steam. This has left 20,000 people struggling to get hot water.
In the recording you can hear how the day before the eruption was marked by silent clicks against the background noise.
In the run-up to previous eruptions on the Reykjanes Peninsula, similar pops and bangs were caused by magma penetrating the crust.
These ‘magma intrusions’ create shock waves strong enough to be picked up by seismographs and are a strong sign of increased volcanic activity.
And this footage even appears to capture the moment the volcano erupted.
Shortly before 5:30 a.m., you may begin to hear the first of a series of rapid clicks and cracks that sound almost like ice breaking.
These clicks get louder before suddenly increasing around 5:55 a.m. and again shortly after 6:30 a.m.
This coincides with the eruption report from the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO).
In a statement, the IMO said: ‘At 5:30 this morning intense seismic activity began northeast of Sylingarfell. About 30 minutes later an eruption began in the same area.
Seismic recordings capture the earthquakes that preceded the eruption around 5:30 and the tremors that followed the explosion.
Since November, thousands of Icelanders have been evacuated from their homes in and around the town of Grindavik due to their proximity to the volcano on the Reykjanes Peninsula.
Iceland has extremely high levels of volcanic activity due to its location above the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
This crack in the ocean floor divides the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates and allows frequent eruptions to occur.
The island itself suffers an eruption every four or five years, but the Reykjanes Peninsula has been dormant for eight centuries.
There have already been five eruptions since August 2022 and three since December alone.
This has led volcanologists to say that it was probably the beginning of a new era of activity in the region.
The biggest concern is that lava from this latest eruption will travel toward the city of Grindavik, 30 miles southwest of Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik.
Observations of the eruption suggest that it is unlikely to cause further damage to nearby settlements, as long as the flow continues to decrease.
Iceland is a particularly hotspot for seismic activity because it sits on the boundary of a tectonic plate called the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
Since November, Grindavik’s 3,800 residents have been evacuated due to increased volcanic activity in the area.
In January, an eruption sent lava flows into the city that destroyed three houses after toppling a defensive wall that had been built nearby.
Lava from this latest eruption is currently moving away from populated areas and is unlikely to damage any more homes.
“The lava is flowing mainly westwards at this time and the flow appears to be slightly less than at the beginning of the December 18 eruption,” the IMO said.
However, Iceland’s civil protection agency has now declared a state of emergency after lava flows damaged vital hot water pipes.
This map shows the extent of lava flows from recent eruptions in the area. The darker region shows the lava flow from the December eruption, while the lighter region shows where the lava has traveled since this last eruption.
This aerial image shows the extent of the lava flow. You can see how the latest lava flow has covered some parts of the lava left by the December eruption
The damage has left 20,000 people struggling to access hot water and may take days to repair.
The agency has warned residents in the affected area to conserve hot water and electricity and schools in the area are now closed.
There are also concerns that lava could reach key pipes near the Svartsengi geothermal power plant.
If this were to happen, another 30,000 people could be affected.
Yesterday afternoon, the IMO confirmed that the intensity of the eruption has continued to decline.
The IMO notes that the decrease in lava flow indicates that there is now less pressure built up beneath the fissure, raising hopes that further damage can be avoided.