On March 18th, 2024 a volcano erupted for the fourth time in three months in Iceland, and they declared a state of emergency. A direct quote from The Weather Channel says, “This time, a lava flow barreled toward the town of Grindavik where defenses seemed to quell any sense of danger for local residents.” (March 19th)

The lava had been growing down the mountain for a while now, according to Emily DeLetter, a writer from USA Today, “lava front extends to the west and the south, now about 820 feet from Suðurstrandarvegur – the main road on the southern coast of the Reykjanes Peninsula.” (March 18th) Lava can flow at various speeds. According to the Volcanoes Hazards Program, with the USGS, “The leading edges of basalt flows can travel as fast as 10 km/h (6 mph) on steep slopes but they typically advance less than 1 km/h (0.27 m/s or about 1 ft/s) on gentle slopes.” (March 8th) It has been reported that the volcano in Iceland has been moving at about 39 feet per hour which is quite slow compared to the average speed of most volcanoes. (Emily DeLetter, USA Today, March 18th)

Thankfully there have been no reported deaths caused by this volcano, but one missing worker has been reported. Looking back at the article from USA Today, no flights have needed to be canceled because of the Icelandic volcano. (Emily Deletter, March 18th)  Hopefully everyone continues to stay safe while the volcano cools down, and the volcano calms down and waits longer to erupt again.