Warning on Atlantic island: Iceland evacuates city before volcanic eruption threatens

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“We hoped it wouldn’t come to this,” the Icelandic volcano center reported late Friday. Evacuate the area.›»

Photos on social media show how earthquakes open the first roads. About 24,000 earthquakes have been recorded in the area since the end of October alone. About 800 earthquakes occurred between midnight and 2 p.m. (local time) on Friday, about three kilometers north of the 4,000-resident town of Grindavik.

According to the warning, there is no emergency evacuation yet. This should happen within 30 minutes. The residents still have a few hours. But time is running out. Following the ongoing series of serious earthquakes in Iceland, authorities on the North Atlantic island are now warning of even stronger earthquakes and a possible impending volcanic eruption.

“Significantly” more magma

The tremors near the town of Grindavik could become even more intense and eventually lead to an eruption, Icelandic police said on Friday evening.

Due to the ongoing series of major earthquakes, the evacuation of the city was ordered late on Friday evening as a precaution. It is further checked whether the magma is approaching the Earth’s surface.

It is said that a river of magma has formed directly beneath the town of Grindavik. The glowing mass could eventually push its way to the Earth’s surface through erupting fissures. According to authorities, there is “significantly” more magma present at the Fagradalsfjall volcano than in previous eruptions.

Strong vibrations

The state of emergency puts civil protection on alert. The Icelandic meteorological agency Vedurstofa reported in the evening that the signs currently observed were similar to those on the eve of the first eruption of the Fagradalsfjall volcano in 2021 and were very similar to the seismic activity a month before this eruption. The most likely scenario is that it will take several days instead of hours for the magma to reach the Earth’s surface.

The new swarm of earthquakes on the Reykjanes Peninsula southwest of Reykjavik started almost two and a half weeks ago. There have been thousands of quakes since then, but they increased in strength and frequency again on Friday afternoon. According to weather agency data, several of them had magnitudes above 4.0; one even had a magnitude of around 5.2.

Tourist attraction closed

Volcanic eruptions have already occurred on the peninsula in 2021, 2022 and this summer. Each was heralded by a longer series of earthquakes. In all three eruptions there was no danger to populated areas.

This time, however, the region’s Svartsengi geothermal power plant was viewed with concern. The nearby Blue Lagoon geothermal pool, one of Iceland’s biggest tourist attractions, was temporarily closed due to the series of earthquakes. An evacuation plan was drawn up for Grindavik, a few kilometers further south. However, a model provided by authorities on Friday did not indicate that lava would flow towards Grindavik in the event of an eruption.

Since 2021, three volcanic eruptions have occurred on the Reykjanes Peninsula: in March 2021, August 2022 and last July. However, these outbreaks occurred far from populated areas or important infrastructure. Iceland is the largest and most active volcanic area in Europe.

Source: Blick