The volcanic fissure that opened up in Iceland late on Tuesday has now expanded, and stretches further north than at any time since 2023.Lava and toxic gas continue to spill from the latest eruption on the Reykjanes Peninsula.

Iceland's Reykjanes peninsula experienced its ninth eruption since late 2023 on July 16, 2025, prompting evacuations at the Blue Lagoon and Grindavik. This latest event, deemed relatively small, follows a series of eruptions that began in March 2021 after eight centuries of dormancy.

A volcanic eruption in Southwestern Iceland forced the evacuation of a nearby town and the world-famous Blue Lagoon geothermal spa on Wednesday, July 16. Media images captured huge plumes of smoke and glowing lava flows spewing from an enormous crack in Earth’s surface roughly 30 miles (18.6 miles) southwest of Reykjavík.