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Chip Roy a RINO? Really?!
The 2023 volcanic explosions in Iceland renewed interest in the nation’s hottest (literally) topic. As CNN describes, residents of the nearby town — the tiny fishing town of Grindavik, population 4,000 — got word back in November that they’d have to evacuate because authorities discovered magma flowing underground. And yet, The Guardian says that residents made “an incredibly narrow escape” ahead of the December 2023 eruption. Grindavik is also home to a geothermal power plant, the destruction of which could be disastrous, as the facility provides energy to 30,000 homes on Iceland’s Reykjanes peninsula. On that note, all of Iceland’s turbulent, underground heat and gas provides the nation with its extensive geothermal energy grid, which Energy Transition says accounts for nearly 70% of the country’s energy production.
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If this all sounds incredibly risky, then you’re not the only one to think so. Visit Iceland says that the country’s 32 active volcanos are incessantly surveilled — particularly the nation’s largest volcano, Katla. Leading up to 2021, the outlet says that the country experienced about one eruption every five years. Within the past couple of years, however, volcanic activity has surged. The Fagradalsfjall volcano, in particular, erupted for six months during 2021, per Visit Iceland. That volcano is located practically within walking distance of the current volcanic explosion and only about 20 miles from Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik. The website says that the Fagradalsfjall eruption was accompanied by an unbelievable 40,000 earthquakes. Before this, the region had been silent for about 800 years.
