On July 9, 2023, a magnitude 5.2 earthquake shook the entire country, with reports of tremors reaching as far as Ísafjörður in the Westfjords. Then, at approximately 16:40 on July 10, a new eruption began on the Reykjanes Peninsula, marking the third eruption in Fagradalsfjall in as many years. Unlike its predecessors, this eruption spans a fissure that stretches approximately 900 metres in length, significantly larger than the 150 to 250metre fissures from 2021 and 2022. The volume of lava flowing from the eruption is estimated to be ten to twenty times greater than previous eruptions.

Before access to the area was restricted due to hazardous volcanic gases, The Reykjavík Grapevine had the opportunity to travel to the eruption site with photographer Joel Barger on assignment for Chris Burkard and Ragnhildur Ágústsdóttir, a lava ambassador and cofounder of Lava Show, to report on the current situation.

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