NASA captures a satellite image showing glowing lava emerging from the Icelandic volcanic eruption

NASA has captured a satellite image of the glowing lava spewing from Iceland’s recent volcanic eruption. The incredible image, which also shows a large cloud of smoke and gas created by the eruption, was captured by OLI-2 (Operational Land Imager-2) on Landsat 9. The lava has flowed across major roads and approached the Blue Lagoon, a popular tourist destination, after erupting from a fissure in the Sundhunkur crater series on Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula. This is the seventh volcanic eruption in the region in less than a year.

“This natural color scene (pictured), captured by OLI-2 on November 24, is overlaid with an infrared signal to distinguish the heat signature of the lava,” said a statement from NASA’s Earth Observatory.

“A gas cloud consisting primarily of sulfur dioxide emitted from the lava, although the eruption had no impact on flights to and from Iceland,” it said.

According to the Icelandic Meteorological Office, the eruption’s activity had not decreased as quickly as previous eruptions, but had stabilized over the past 24 hours.

“Eruption activity has been steady over the last 24 hours, with lava now flowing predominantly east and southeast towards and along the base of Fagradalsfjall,” it said in a November 27 update.

“The lava field near Fagradalsfjall has expanded slightly but continues to thicken. The volcanic earthquake has remained stable alongside the eruption activity in the vent. The subsidence rate around Svartsengi has decreased significantly,” it said.

Video: Red lava pours out as a volcano erupts in Iceland for the seventh time in a year

What is a fissure eruption?

According to scientists, Iceland’s current eruption is a fissure eruption. A fissure is a gap through which a layer of magma flows. When this fracture cuts the surface, lava erupts to the surface. According to a BBC The Reykjanes Peninsula had reportedly been inactive for 800 years before volcanic activity resumed in 2021.

Volcanologists have warned that volcanic activity in Iceland has entered a new era. The country is home to 33 active volcanic systems, more than any other European country. It lies on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a fault in the ocean floor that separates the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates and causes earthquakes and eruptions.