Complete Guide to the 2024 Sundhnukagigar Volcanic Eruptions

Learn everything you need to know about the 2024 volcano eruptions in Sundhnukagigar, Iceland. What did they mean for the people of Grindavik? How powerful were the eruptions compared to other recent eruptions? In this article, you'll find out everything you need to know about this recent Iceland eruption.

The ongoing volcanic activity on the Reykjanes peninsula manifested in yet another eruption on February 8th, 2024. Just after 6 AM, a new fissure opened north of Sylingarfell mountain in the Sundhnukagigar crater row, close to the site of the most recent eruption by Hagafell. 

The shortlived eruption was followed by another larger eruption nearby just over a month later. These eruptions, which are the sixth and seventh ones in the area in just four years, respectively, did not come as a surprise to the Icelandic people, who have made preparations to defend the nearby infrastructure from the volcanic forces. 

The Reykjanes volcano area is currently closed off to the public - please consult the Safetravel website for further information about the closure. If you want to learn more about eruptions in Iceland, check out our article on the volcanic history of Iceland.

The area of the eruptions is still undergoing a larger volcanic event with the risk of new fissures opening in the vicinity. If you are in Iceland and wish to witness the eruption site, the only way is by taking a helicopter tour of the volcanic area.

• Learn about the previous eruption in the Complete Guide to the Hagafell Eruption
• For information on 2023 eruptions, see the Complete Guide to the Eruption by Litli-Hrutur Volcano and the Complete Guide to the Sundhnukagigar Eruption
• See also: The Complete Guide to the 2021 Volcanic Eruption by Fagradalsfjall Volcano and the 2022 Fagradalsfjall Volcano Eruption

The February 8th Eruption at Sundhnukagigar

The fissure that opened by the Sundhnukagigar crater row on February 8th was around 1.8 miles long (3 kilometers), with dramatic plumes of lava rising to heights of 164-196 feet (50-80 meters). Unlike the previous eruption in Hagafell, which had taken place close to the town of Grindavik, this new eruption is further north, with a lava flow heading mostly west.

According to the Icelandic Meteorological Office, the eruption was similar to the Hagafell eruption, although a little less powerful, and it followed a similar pattern to the previous Sundhnukagigar eruption of December 2023.

No lives were in danger from the eruption. However, the lava flow reached the Grindavikurvegur road and destroyed a water pipe that supplied the towns on the edge of the Reykjanes peninsula with hot water and heating. This led to around four days of no heating before a new pipeline could be established.

The lava flow did not cause damage to the town of Grindavik, the Blue Lagoon, or the Svartsengi power station, and construction crews had erected protective walls as preventative measures in response to the volcanic activity in the region. While the eruption was short-lived, the Sundhnukagigar area would not stay quiet for long.

The March 16th Eruption at Sundhnukagigar

The eruption that began in Sundhnukagigar on March 16th gave very little notice of its forceful entry. The fissure was roughly 2 miles long (3.5 kilometers), and it quickly became apparent that it was more powerful than its February counterpart.
The lava flow from the eruption was initially very fast, flowing in two directions - the south and the west. Thankfully, the preventative measures of erecting mounds of earth to slow the lava flow proved useful in guiding it away from infrastructure. While there was danger of the lava flow reaching the road to Grindavik, it ended up falling short.

While this eruption is still ongoing, it is predicted that it will be short-lived like its predecessors. The area is still off-limits to the public. Like with all the previous eruptions in the vicinity, international flights are not affected, so arrivals and departures from Keflavik International Airport proceeded as planned. 

Events Preceding the Eruption

The eruption in Hagafell in January had come as a terrible blow to the people of Iceland, especially the inhabitants of Grindavik, whose homes were ravaged by the seismic activity.  The flowing lava destroyed three houses, and many other homes and infrastructure were destroyed by enormous cracks in the earth created by earthquakes and seismic activity.

Thankfully, no people or animals were harmed in the eruption as everyone had been evacuated. The preceding earthquakes, which numbered in the thousands, had given the Icelandic people fair warning and an eruption had been expected for roughly two months.

Just a few months before the eruption in Hagafell, another eruption that took place in Sundhnukagigar had resulted in what experts called a "best-case-scenario," as the lava flow from the eruption, while close to Grindavik flowed in the opposite direction of the town. 

Whether or not Grindavik will be inhabitable in the future remains unseen, but it is clear that the inhabitants will, at the very least, not return to their homes in the coming months.

The series of eruptions in Reykjanes began in 2021 with the volcano of Fagradalsfjall. The eruption was a visitor-friendly spectacle with tens of thousands of people flocking to see it from all over the world. The same was true for the second eruption by Fagradalsfjall in 2022 and the eruption of Litli-Hrutur in 2023. 

The seismic activity in Reykjanes is caused by its location on the Mid-Atlantic ridge, the rift between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. If you want to learn more about the geology behind the eruptions, see our article on tectonic plates in Iceland.

The volcanic activity of the Reykjanes peninsula is expected to continue developing in the coming years. Have you managed to see any of them during a visit to Iceland? Let us know in the comments if you have any questions, and we will do our best to answer them!