Huge cracks appear on roads in Icelandic town at risk of volcanic eruption
Magma may have reached very high up in the Earth’s crust, according to Iceland’s meteorological office, which says people will have to “wait in suspense for the next few days” to see how events play out.
“While there is still magma flow into the corridor, and while our data and models show that, that probability is imminent, and we really just have to wait in suspense for the next few days to see what happens,” Kristín Jónsdóttir, head of department at the Icelandic Meteorological Office, said.
She said the decreasing earthquake activity over the last 24 hours could be a sign that magma has reached very high up in the earth’s crust, adding that the scenario is not unlike what was seen prior to a previous eruption in 2021.
The Met Office said magmatic gas has been detected at a borehole in Svartsengi, signalling an imminent eruption of the Fagradalsfjall volcano over the coming days, with the town of Grindavik most at risk.
“Hagafell is thought to be a prime location for an eruption,” the forecaster said. An eruption is now feared by many experts to be a case of when, not if.
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Icelandic authorities fear sudden volcano eruption
Authorities in Iceland said they could get as little as “30 minutes notice” before the anticipated volcanic eruption near the small fishing town of Grindavik in the southwest of the country.
“The challenge that we have is that we will not see any strong evidence that the magma is coming up, we will see some small earthquakes and we can see how they will probably form in one place rather than another,” Vídir Reynisson, the head of the civil protection and emergency management agency, told Fox News.
“We will maybe get a 30-minute notice before the eruption starts. That is what we are working with.”
“All the big signs are already there, so we are looking for the small signs, the signs that say that even though we are monitoring very closely, it could be 30 minutes or less from now on until the eruption starts, but that could go on for days or weeks,” he added.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar21 November 2023 03:30
Nearly 700 tremors detected near magma intrusion in Iceland, says Met Office
About 700 earthquakes were detected from Sunday midnight to Monday evening in the region of the magma intrusion, with the largest being of 2.7 magnitude, the Icelandic Met Office (IMO) said.
It said there has been a significant crustal uplift in the vicinity of the Svartsengi power plant, located just 4km from the fishing town of Grindavik, which was evacuated amid fears of a volcanic eruption.
“The clear sign of crustal uplift in Svartsengi region does not change the likelihood of an eruption from the magma intrusion,” the Met Office said.
“This is assessed, amongst other things, on the fact that the Earth’s crust over the magma intrusion is much weaker than the crust over the uplift region close to Svartsengi.
“As long as there is not significant seismicity in the Svartsengi region, there is not a high likelihood of an eruption at that location.”
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar21 November 2023 03:02
Watch: Iceland volcano eruption warning forces residents to evacuate
Residents of a fishing town in south-western Iceland have left their homes after fears of a volcanic eruption caused civil defence authorities to declare a state of emergency in the region.
Police decided to evacuate Grindavik after recent seismic activity in the area moved south towards the town and monitoring indicated that a corridor of magma, or semi-molten rock, now extends under the community, Iceland’s meteorological office said.
The town of 3,400 is on the Reykjanes Peninsula, about 30 miles south-west of the capital, Reykjavik.
Iceland volcano eruption warning forces residents in Grindavik to evacuate
Residents of a fishing town in south-western Iceland have left their homes after fears of a volcanic eruption caused civil defence authorities to declare a state of emergency in the region. Police decided to evacuate Grindavik after recent seismic activity in the area moved south towards the town and monitoring indicated that a corridor of magma, or semi-molten rock, now extends under the community, Iceland’s meteorological office said. The town of 3,400 is on the Reykjanes Peninsula, about 30 miles south-west of the capital, Reykjavik.
Alexander Butler21 November 2023 02:00
Biggest volcanic eruptions in the last 10 years as Iceland town faces devastation
Three eruptions have taken place on the peninsula of Reykjanes near the Fagradalsfjall volcano in the last three years: in March 2021, August 2022 and July 2023.
However, previous eruptions did not cause damage, having occurred in remote valleys.
As Iceland waits in trepidation for the looming volcanic eruption, we take a look at some of the biggest volcanic eruptions in the last decade:
Maryam Zakir-Hussain21 November 2023 00:01
Iceland volcano could erupt like a ‘can of fizzy drink’
A volcano close to erupting in Iceland could explode like a “can of fizzy drink,” an expert has said.
Iceland’s Met Office has said magmatic gas has been detected at a borehole in Svartsengi, signalling an imminent eruption of the Fagradalsfjall volcano over the coming days, with the town of Grindavik most at risk.
The small fishing town has already been evacuated following thousands of mini earthquakes across the Reykjanes peninsula, southwest Iceland, over the past week.
Matt Mathers20 November 2023 22:00
Iceland residents fleeing imminent volcanic eruption told they face months away from home
Experts have revealed the likely eruption site of a volcano in Iceland, as authorities warn evacuees they may not return home for months.
Iceland has seen more than 1,700 earthquakes in the last 24 hours, according to the country’s Met Office, with most of the activity north of Hagafell.
The forecaster said magmatic gas has been detected at a borehole in Svartsengi, signalling an imminent eruption of the Fagradalsfjall volcano over the coming days.
Athena Stavrou20 November 2023 20:28
When will the Iceland volcano erupt and what happens when it does?
As an imminent eruption looms thousands of Iceland residents await their fate as their town could be wiped out within days, Lydia Patrick reports.
Thousands of earthquakes rocked the southwestern peninsula of Reykjanes on Saturday 11 November leading semi-molten rock to ravage below the surface as the tremors caused a 15km long dyke to form, cracking the community in two as the ground was pushed upwards.
Some 3,400 residents from the town of Grindavik which lies on the path of the expected fissure vent eruption were forced to evacuate, they described the ‘apocalyptic’ scenes of their much-loved home town as they briefly returned to collect their belongings.
Alexander Butler20 November 2023 18:14
Grindavik couple fear losing their home after evacuating: ‘It’s a pretty grim situation’
A man who evacuated from a town in Iceland after earthquakes put the region on alert for a volcanic eruption said he fears he might never see his home again.
Caitlin McLean, from Scotland, was visiting her boyfriend, Gisli Gunnarsson, in Grindavik when they were forced to flee his home at midnight on Friday, packing only a few essential items, to stay with Mr Gunnarsson’s mother in Reykjavik.
Police evacuated Grindavik after seismic activity in the area moved south towards the town, with a corridor of magma, or semi-molten rock, now thought to be extending under the community.
You can read the full report by Sarah Ping here:
Andy Gregory20 November 2023 17:01
Could an Icelandic volcano ground flights like in 2010?
In April 2010, the Eyjafjallajokull volcano erupted and caused a complete shutdown of aviation for a week.
Anyone who has a flight booked imminently may be fretting about a possible repeat. Thankfully, the circumstances are very different.
Our travel correspondent Simon Calder has some answers here:
Andy Gregory20 November 2023 16:18
Eruption at power plant still unlikely despite ground swelling, says Iceland Met Office
The ground swelling near the Svartsengi power plant does not change the likelihood of an eruption from the nearby magma dyke, Iceland’s Met Office has said.
“The clear sign of crustal uplift in Svartsengi region does not change the likelihood of an eruption from the magma intrusion. This is assessed, amongst other things, on the fact that the Earth’s crust over the magma intrusion is much weaker than the crust over the uplift region close to Svartsengi,” the IMO said.
“As long as there is not significant seismicity in the Svartsengi region, there is not a high likelihood of an eruption at that location. Moreover, an eruption is still deemed more likely from the intrusion, particularly if there is a sudden, large inflow of magma into the intrusion.”
“Our monitoring and hazard assessment preparations are still based on the assumption that the situation could change suddenly with little warning,” added the statement, issued on Monday afternoon.
General view of the Svartsengi geothermal power plant, near the evacuated town of Grindavik
(REUTERS)
Andy Gregory20 November 2023 15:36