NewsWorldEuropeThousands of residents evacuated town of Grindavik over weekend after series of earthquakes as threat of volcano eruption still looms
Huge cracks appear on roads in Icelandic town at risk of volcanic eruption
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Fears an Icelandic volcano will erupt remain high as magma spreads underground and huge cracks appear in the roads of a town most at risk.
Seismic activity in southwestern Iceland decreased in size and intensity on Monday, but the risk of a volcanic eruption remained significant, authorities said.
Around 900 earthquakes hit the south of the country on Monday, with tens of thousands of tremors reported in the region of Reykjanes in recent weeks.
Almost 4,000 people were evacuated from Grindavik over the weekend as authorities feared that molten rock would rise to the surface of the earth and potentially hit the coastal town and a geothermal power station.
On Tuesday authorities scrambled to build a defence wall around the Svartsengi power plant, located just over six kilometers from Grindavik, to protect it from lava flows amid fears of an eruption.
1700024118Huge cracks appear on roads in volcano-threatened townIceland earthquakes: Huge cracks appear on roads in town at risk of volcanic eruption
Shweta Sharma15 November 2023 04:55
1700022607Iceland raises aviation alert amid volcano eruption fearsAuthorities in Iceland have elevated their aviation alert to orange after increasing concern about a potential volcanic eruption.
Volcanic eruptions present a significant aviation hazard as they can release highly abrasive ash into the upper atmosphere, posing the potential for engine failure, impairment of flight control systems, and diminished visibility.
A major eruption in Iceland in 2010 caused widespread disruption to air travel between Europe and North America, costing airlines an estimated $3bn as they canceled more than 100,000 flights.
Shweta Sharma15 November 2023 04:30
1700022180Iceland Met Office says eruption status unchanged Iceland’s Met Office confirmed that the probability of an eruption remained “unchanged” and “gas does not appear unless magma is high in the earth’s crust”.
Meteorologists continue to keep a close eye on the region which was evacuated earlier on Tuesday after high levels of sufur dioxide were detected.
Iceland’s Met Office reports higher levels of sulfur dioxide indicating magma close to the earth’s crust
(Iceland Met Office (Sigdalin))
Maira Butt15 November 2023 04:23
1700018520Top tourist attraction, Blue Lagoon, shut for daysOver 700,000 people visit the Blue Lagoon every year, one of Iceland’s top tourist attractions. However, it has been shut until Thursday amid risks of a huge volcanic eruption that could obliterate the town.
Countless couples have had to cancel honeymoons and holidays to the romantic venue which features natural thermal springs and pearly blue water.
The town of Grindavik has been evacuated amid rising risks of an eruption.
The Blue Lagoon is a dream destination for hundreds and thousands every year
(Atlas Photography)
Maira Butt15 November 2023 03:22
1700015407Australia issues travel warning for Iceland’s Reykjanes peninsulaThe Australian government has issued a travel advisory for people, asking them to avoid areas near volcano eruption sites and in areas around the Reykjanes peninsula.
“Avoid areas near volcano eruption sites and areas close to mountains with steep slopes on the Reykjanes peninsula due to the danger of falling rocks,” the government’s Smarttraveller website said in an update.
“Volcanic and seismic activity around Mt. Thorbjörn, 40km southwest of Reykjavik and near the Blue Lagoon and Keflavik International Airport, has increased.”
Shweta Sharma15 November 2023 02:30
1700014020Town could be obliterated in eruptionThe town of Grindavik could be obliterated in an eruption, Lydia Patrick reports.
The country has been shaken by more than 2,000 small earthquakes in the past few days, prompting fears that the tremors could disrupt the Fagradalsfjall volcano on the Reykjanes peninsula in the southwest of the country.
Thousands have been told to evacuate Grindavik as a precautionary measure, while a magma tunnel stretches below the surface. If an eruption occurs in or close to the town, the consequences will be devastating, volcanologist Armann Hoskuldsson warned.
He told state broadcaster RUV: “This is very bad news. One of the most serious scenarios is an eruption in the town itself, similar to that in Vestmannaeyjar 50 years ago. This would be much worse.”
Ragga Agustsdottir, who lives close to Grindavik, said residents were fearful of what could happen if an eruption struck. “The scenario on the table now is that it will happen in or just north of the town of Grindavik. There’s no good option here,” she told The Independent.
The red shimmer from magma flowing out from the erupting Fagradalsfjall volcano behind the landmark Blue Lagoon, some 45 km west of the Icelandic capital Reykjavik, on 19 March 2021
(AFP via Getty Images)
Maira Butt15 November 2023 02:07
1700010360In case you missed it…Lydia Patrick reports:
The Icelandic Meteorological Office said on Saturday there was a “considerable” risk of an eruption on the Reykjanes peninsula because of the size of the underground magma intrusion and the rate at which it was moving.
See the full piece here.
Lava spurts and flows after the eruption of a volcano in the Reykjanes Peninsula
(Reuters)
Maira Butt15 November 2023 01:06
1700006460Construction of lava barriers begins The construction of lava barriers has begun around Svartsengi power plant and the Blue Lagoon.
The walls are being built to shield the power plant from being damaged and destroyed in the event of an eruption.
Iceland’s Parliament approved a bill just before midnight last night to enable the building of lava barriers, which will be financed through a tax hike, according to Iceland Review.
Maira Butt15 November 2023 00:01
1700003703Volcanic eruption will not be as harmful as fossil fuels Threats of an eruption have caused thousands of earthquakes in the last few days, but Mark Gongloff for Bloomberg writes that fossil fuels are still a hundred times more harmful.
In an attempt to clarify rumours circling on social media, the journalist confirmed that planet-warming gases could be emitted. But their scale and content would not be as harmful as the equivalent toxins emitted through human consumption and waste.
Maira Butt14 November 2023 23:15
1699999263Icelandic Met Office reports increased levels of sulfur dioxide indicating “magma very high in earth’s crust”Benedikt Ófeigsson at the Icelandic Met Office, has told RÚV that their new meters have detected increased levels of SO2, or sulfur dioxide.
He confirmed that the discovery had been shared with Grindavik’s police chief who had therefore made the decision to evacuation the town.
While he said this was their sole indication of a volcanic eruption occuring, he confirmed that gas does not appear this way unless magma is very high in the earth’s crust.
Cracks emerged in the town
(REUTERS)
Maira Butt14 November 2023 22:01
