A volcano near Iceland’s capital of Reykjavik erupted in 2022. File Photo courtesy of Icelandic Met Office/Facebook
Nov. 11 (UPI) — Iceland’s public broadcaster RUV, in partnership with the country’s civil defense team, announced two live streams to watch the impending eruption of Fagradalsfjall volcano.
Scientists can’t pinpoint when, or even if, Fagradalsfjall volcano would erupt but say there are plenty of signs — including multiple earthquakes and a river of magma running underneath the town of Grindavik — that show it will be soon. The country’s iconic geothermic spa, Blue Lagoon, closed, and the town’s 3,000 residents in Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula were told to leave.
“It remains a possibility, albeit not the one with the greatest chance, that the seismic events will end without an eruption,” RUV said.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qvw5qh5K4wI
Icelandic Met Office scientists said magmatic dikes and land deformations are yet another indicator the volcano will blow soon. Fagradalsfjall was dormant for 800 years before it erupted in 2021 and 2022.
“Since midnight November 12th, around 1,000 earthquakes have been recorded within the dike boundaries, and all of them have been below M3.0 in magnitude. The most seismic activity has been from the center of the corridor to the north and south under Grindavik,” they said.
Earlier this week, residents and tourists in an Icelandic fishing town were told to evacuate. Emergency officials said Saturday that police have decided that it is not possible to save livestock and farm animals from the defined danger zone due to the landslides in Reykjanes, at the moment. On Sunday, some Grindavik residents were allowed home briefly to retrieve important items.
“This comes with risks and therefore it’s very important that everyone involved in it carefully obeys all the instructions of the police that directs this operation,” emergency officials said Sunday. “It is not clear if or when it will be possible to go on similar missions in other neighborhoods.”
The Icelandic government noted that the country is no stranger to volcanic activity, and there have been three eruptions on the Reykjanes Peninsula in the last two years.
“Icelandic authorities and the public are highly prepared for such events, and Iceland has one of the world’s most effective volcanic preparedness measures,” the government statement reads. “Iceland’s geoscientists possess vast experience in dealing with volcanic activities.”
Because of the heightened danger, Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir also tried to ease fears.
“The minds of all the people of the country are now with you,” she said “Respondents stand the watch as they have done so far and make all their decisions guided by the public interest. Mass relief centers have been opened. The safety of the nation is paramount in these uncertain times. Let’s take good care of each other.”
