Icelandic authorities announced on Wednesday that they are considering spraying water on the lava that erupts in the event of a volcanic eruption in order to cool it and thus protect the town of Grindavik, AFP and Agerpres reported.

This fishing port of about 4,000 residents on the Reykjanes peninsula was evacuated on November 11 after several hundred earthquakes triggered by the movement of magma beneath the earth’s crust, a harbinger of a volcanic eruption.

The Civil Protection Agency and European experts will assess the possibility of “using a significant volume of water to cool the lava and protect the town of Grindavik and critical infrastructure,” said Vidir Reynisson, a spokesman for the Civil Protection and Emergency Management Agency. from Iceland, at a press conference.

Iceland already resorted to such a procedure in 1973, when a crack opened in the earth’s crust 150 meters from the center of the island of Heimai, which caught local residents by surprise.

They were then able to slow down and control the movement of the lava.

“The technical assessment team will arrive in Iceland tonight or tomorrow morning and its members will help us explore the possibilities,” added Vidir Reynisson.

In Iceland, eruptions occur every 4-5 years

Iceland has 33 volcanic systems, the most in Europe, and eruptions occur on average every four to five years.

Three eruptions occurred in March 2021, August 2022 and July 2023 near Fagradalsfjälla on the Reykjanes Peninsula.

Grindavik is located near the geothermal station in Svartzeng, the main supplier of electricity and water for the 30,000 inhabitants of this peninsula, and is also an important reservoir of fresh water.

In addition, the city is close to the Blue Lagoon, a tourist destination known for its geothermal spas, but which was closed during this period as a precaution.

Located in the North Atlantic, Iceland sits on the Atlantic Ridge, a rift in the ocean floor that separates the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates.