Reykjavik, Iceland’s Civil Protection authority has declared a state of emergency following a series of earthquakes that may herald an imminent volcanic eruption.
The seismic activity is concentrated in the south-western Reykjanes Peninsula and suggests that an eruption could take place in the volcanic system there in the coming hours or days, the Icelandic Met Office said late Friday.
“Significant changes” in the accumulation of underground magma was recorded near the village of Grindavík, home to nearly 4,000 people, the Met Office said.
In light of this, local police and the Civil Protection authority decided to evacuate Grindavík and declare a state of emergency, DPA reported.
“At this stage, it is not possible to determine exactly whether and where magma might reach the surface.
There are indications that a considerable amount of magma is moving in an area extending from Sundhnjúkagígum in the north towards Grindavík,” an IMO statement said.
“The amount of magma involved is significantly more than what was observed in the largest magma intrusions associated with the eruptions at Fagradalsfjall.
Further data is being collected to calculate models that provide a more accurate picture of the magma intrusion.”
Thousands of tremors began rattling the Reykjanes Peninsula, which is home to the Fagradalsfjall volcano, at the end of October.
Fagradalsfjall is located about 40 kilometres from the capital Reykjavik and last erupted in 2021.
On Thursday, the popular Blue Lagoon geothermal pool was closed due to the risk posed to guests by the tremors and the strain on staff.
Source: Bahrain News Agency
