Iceland volcano – live: Eruption could happen with just 30 minutes warning as magma ‘very close’ to surface
Magma may have reached very high up in the Earth’s crust, according to Iceland’s Meteorological Office (IMO), which says people will have to “wait in suspense for the next few days” to see how events play out.
“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.
Authorities fear they could get as little as “30 minutes notice” before the anticipated volcanic eruption. “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,” Vídir Reynisson, chief of civil protection added.
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.
Key Points
Icelandic authorities fear sudden volcano eruption
Ground near power plant swells as chamber beneath floods with magma
Peninsula braced for new ‘eruptive cycle’ to bring decades of volcanic instability
Evacuated town residents allowed to return briefly to rescue valuables
Huge cracks appear in roads in evacuated town as magma bubbles underneath
Iceland Met Office updates danger zone in new map
05:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
The Icelandic Met Office (IMO) on Monday updated its hazard assessment map for the area of Grindavik and Svartsengi based on satellite images.
The danger zone compared to the previous maps has been expanded to include three broad categories.
A very high danger zone measuring about 2-3km across is marked in purple, while the area around it in red denotes high risk and yellow is moderate.
The highest risk zone in the centre of the 15km-long rift is marked with a dashed red line.
When will the Iceland volcano erupt?
04:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
As an imminent eruption looms thousands of Iceland residents await their fate as their town could be wiped out within days.
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.
The whole population waits in limbo as they fear the fate of their close-knit community, many have already lost their homes whilst others do not know if their residencies still stand as earthquakes have continued to strike.
Lydia Patrick reports.
When will the Iceland volcano erupt and what happens when it does?
Is it safe to travel to Iceland? Your rights if you have a holiday booked
04:00 , Simon Calder
The earth is at its most restless in Iceland right now. The Reykjanes peninsula, southwest of Reykjavik, is seething with seismic activity sparking hundreds of small earthquakes.
The town of Grindavík, just 10 miles south of Keflavik International Airport, has been evacuated as a precaution.
Yet flights are continuing to arrive and depart as normal. These are the key questions and answers on consumer rights.
Is it safe to travel to Iceland? Your rights if you have a holiday booked
Icelandic authorities fear sudden volcano eruption
03:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
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.
Nearly 700 tremors detected near magma intrusion in Iceland, says Met Office
03:02 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
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.”
Watch: Iceland volcano eruption warning forces residents to evacuate
02:00 , Alexander Butler
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
Biggest volcanic eruptions in the last 10 years as Iceland town faces devastation
00:01 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
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:
Biggest volcanic eruptions in the last 10 years as Iceland town faces devastation
Iceland volcano could erupt like a ‘can of fizzy drink’
Monday 20 November 2023 22:00 , Matt Mathers
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.
Iceland volcano could erupt like a ‘can of fizzy drink’
Iceland residents fleeing imminent volcanic eruption told they face months away from home
Monday 20 November 2023 20:28 , Athena Stavrou
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.
Iceland officials reveal where volcano will likely erupt
When will the Iceland volcano erupt and what happens when it does?
Monday 20 November 2023 18:14 , Alexander Butler
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.
When will the Iceland volcano erupt and what happens when it does?
Grindavik couple fear losing their home after evacuating: ‘It’s a pretty grim situation’
Monday 20 November 2023 17:01 , Andy Gregory
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:
Grindavik couple fear losing home after evacuating: ‘It’s a pretty grim situation’
Could an Icelandic volcano ground flights like in 2010?
Monday 20 November 2023 16:18 , Andy Gregory
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:
Could an Icelandic volcano ground flights like in 2010?
Eruption at power plant still unlikely despite ground swelling, says Iceland Met Office
Monday 20 November 2023 15:36 , Andy Gregory
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.
Hundreds of earthquakes detected since midnight
Monday 20 November 2023 15:14 , Andy Gregory
More than 700 earthquakes have been detected close to the magma dyke since midnight, according to the Icelandic Met Office – with the largest of the tremors a magnitude 2.7, close to Hagafell.
Recent days have seen between 1,500 and 1,800 daily earthquakes in the region, the national forecaster said in its update at 1:20pm.
Earthquakes occur as magma surges beneath the ground – in this case causing the ground itself to rise.
Most displaced children are near Reykjavic, says civil defence chief
Monday 20 November 2023 14:21 , Andy Gregory
Children displaced by the evacuations will be given the opportunity to attend schools in the capital Reykjavic, officials have said.
Jóhanna Lilja Birgisdóttir, a senior psychologist at Grindavik’s social services department, told a press briefing this morning that there was no compulsory schooling for the town’s children, but that officials in neigbouring localities are working to ensure all have the opportunity to attend.
Firstly, all children are invited to go to school where the family is currently staying. In order to enroll a child in such a neighborhood school, parents must contact the school administrators of that school directly,” Ms Birgisdóttir was quoted as saying by national broadcaster RUV.
All children from Grindavík can also attend school together in several groups and accompanied by their teachers, in different parts of Reykjavik, hopefully from next Wednesday, she said.
Civil defence chief Víðir Reynisson added: “Our priority is to keep children together. We will try that in small groups in Reykjavík next week. Most of the displaced children are in the capital area.”
Watch: Iceland earthquake shakes house as couple forced to evacuate
Monday 20 November 2023 13:42 , Andy Gregory
Peninsula faces ‘decades’ of volcanic instability
Monday 20 November 2023 13:13 , Andy Gregory
The densely-populated Reykjanes Peninsula potentially faces decades of instability, Iceland’s civil defence chief has reiterated.
Experts fear that the resumption of eruptions on the region – which neighbours the capital Reykjavic – in 2021 could mark a new “eruptive cycle” following an 800-year hiatus.
Asked about the long-term plan for the peninsula, civil defence chief Víðir Reynisson told reporters on Monday: “Our general risk assessment for the whole area says that when this episode starts (as it did in 2021) we should prepare for decades ahead.
“The highest risk scenario is the one we are looking at, a possible eruption around Grindavík.”
Eruption ‘could happen anywhere’ along 15km magma dyke
Monday 20 November 2023 12:44 , Andy Gregory
An eruption could happen anywhere along the magma dyke, Iceland’s civil defence chief has said, noting that officials’ “first priority” is protecting the Svartsengi power plant.
Asked at a press briefing on Monday morning where an eruption was most likely to occur, Víðir Reynisson said: “There is a lot of uncertainty. It is a 15km long dyke and it could happen anywhere.
“But the deformation data suggests just west of Þórbjörn, about 2km north of Grindavík, around 1.5km from the Svartsengi power station.
“Our first priority is protecting that plant but if that fails we are looking for backups. The power station provides hot water – used for heating – for around 30,000 people.”
Eruption at magma dyke would likely be within days, says top official
Monday 20 November 2023 12:20 , Andy Gregory
If an eruption is going to occur in the magma dyke near Grindavik, it will likely be “within days”, Iceland’s civil defence chief has said.
According to Iceland’s national broadcaster RUV, Víðir Reynisson told reporters this morning: “We have very clear signs of magma along the dyke. It is estimated at less than 1km depth.
“Since then we have not seen signs of it getting closer to the surface. The likely time of something happening along the dyke, especially in the center, if it happens, is within days not weeks.
“If this continues without an eruption the chance of one decreases with time pretty rapidly. But then we see the changes at Svartsengi which possibly introduce the next stage of this.”
Iceland residents fleeing imminent volcanic eruption told they face months away from home
Monday 20 November 2023 11:37 , Andy Gregory
At a Civil Defence briefing last week, director Víðir Reynisson said there was significant damage to houses and pipes in the evacuated town of Grindavik, my colleague Athena Stavrou reports.
The fishing town has been the most affected area in Iceland, as the magma tunnel snakes beneath the ground leaving huge cracks in roads.
While the eruption is most likely to happen in Hagafell, there is a possibility that it could happen anywhere along the magma tunnel.
Mr Reynisson said: “This plus uncertainty about earthquakes means that residents have to prepare to live elsewhere in the coming months.”
Locals have been permitted to briefly enter their homes for five minutes this week to collect their valuables and pets but need prior authorisation.
Iceland officials reveal where volcano will likely erupt
Hundreds of earthquakes beneath Grindavik in recent hours
Monday 20 November 2023 10:45 , Andy Gregory
Some 460 earthquakes have been recorded at the magma tunnel beneath the town of Grindavik since midnight, Iceland’s national broadcaster RUV reports.
That represents a slight increase in seismicity, with the largest tremor a magnitude 2.7.
‘Like a dystopian movie’: Iceland residents describe ‘apocalyptic’ scenes as they flee volcano threat
Monday 20 November 2023 10:10 , Andy Gregory
Residents from Grindavik, the small Icelandic town under threat from a volcanic eruption, have described their ‘apocalyptic’ existence as they fear for their future.
Grindavik resident Andrea Ævarsdóttir, 46, told The Independent: “Everything just seems so unreal, I feel like I’m in a dystopian movie. I’m just waiting to wake up from this nightmare.”
The mother was getting ready to go into Reykjavík to celebrate her son Björgvin Hrafnar’s 16th birthday when their house started to shake on Friday.
“Some of them [the earthquakes] were like a big truck had driven past your house, the bigger ones were like the same truck had hit your house,” she said. “Everything was shaking so bad, the floors were going up and down.”
My colleague Lydia Patrick has more in this report:
Iceland residents describe ‘apocalyptic’ scenes as they flee volcano threat
Evacuated residents to be allowed brief return home to rescue valuables
Monday 20 November 2023 09:23 , Andy Gregory
Selected residents of an Iceland town evacuated due to fears of an eruption will be allowed to briefly return to their homes to collect valuables today – in a plan which could change at the last minute.
A notice issued by the local police chief said that permits had been given for the owners of 120 properties in Grindavik to rescue their valuables. They will be transported to and from a collection point by emergency personnel.
“First of all, the safety of the responders, most of whom are volunteers, must be considered. Their safety must always be ensured. There is still a high probability of an eruption,” said the police chief.
Watch: Huge cracks appear on roads in town at risk of volcanic eruption
Monday 20 November 2023 08:59 , Andy Gregory
Area near power plant entering ‘new eruption phase’, says volcanologist
Monday 20 November 2023 08:31 , Andy Gregory
The area near the Svartsengi power plant has entered a “new eruption phase”, an Icelandic volcanologist has suggested.
The land near the power plant is swelling as a chamber some 4.5 kilometres below the surface fills with magma at a rate of around 50 cubic metres per second, according to Professor Thorvaldur Thordarson – in a repeat of the events which saw huge fissures appear in the ground earlier this month.
“I think the likelihood of an eruption in the northern part of the Sundhnúkar crater row or in Illahraun lava increasing every day. I think the likelihood of an eruption there is increasing because of the land rise in that area,” Professor Thordarson told Iceland Monitor.
He added: “We’re in a new and a changed situation and we’ve entered a new the eruption phase, and so it’s very constructive for us to think about what kind of preventive measures we can take. What can we do before an eruption occurs that will help us reduce its impact on society and infrastructure?”
Ground near power plant swells as chamber beneath floods with magma
Monday 20 November 2023 08:05 , Andy Gregory
The land near the Svartsengi power plant is now rising even faster than it did prior to the subterranean events which led to huge cracks appearing in the ground there earlier this month, a volcanologist has said.
Land swelling is common prior to volcanic eruptions, and Professor Thorvaldur Thordarson said the ground is now rising some 5.5 times faster than it did 10 days ago, with the flow of magma into the storage chamber – which sits 4.5km below the surface – now around 10 times faster, at around 50 cubic metres per second.
“The land is rising much faster now. This happens simultaneously because the magma is creating space and thus raising the surface of the earth,” Professor Thordarson told Iceland Monitor.
If this speed continues, the volcanologist believes the Svartsengi power plant will have reached its previous position in five to 15 days.
“What happens then, it’s hard to tell,” he said. “We might get an eruption, we might have a re-run of the activitites that happened on 10 November or just something completely new.”
It’s like a dystopian movie’: Iceland residents describe ‘apocalyptic’ scene
Monday 20 November 2023 07:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Residents from a small Icelandic town under threat from a volcanic eruption have described their ‘apocalyptic’ existence as they fear for their future.
Grindavik resident Andrea Ævarsdóttir, 46, told The Independent: “Everything just seems so unreal, I feel like I’m in a dystopian movie. I’m just waiting to wake up from this nightmare.”
Lydia Patrick reports.
Iceland residents describe ‘apocalyptic’ scenes as they flee volcano threat
Iceland earthquakes: Huge cracks appear on roads in town at risk of volcanic eruption
Monday 20 November 2023 07:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Is it safe to travel to Iceland?
Monday 20 November 2023 06:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
The town of Grindavík, just 10 miles south of Keflavik International Airport, has been evacuated as a precaution. Yet flights are continuing to arrive and depart as normal.
A spokesperson for British Airways told The Independent: “Our flights are operating as planned and we continue to monitor the situation closely.
“We will be in touch with customers directly should the situation change.”
Simon Calder has more.
Is it safe to travel to Iceland? Your rights if you have a holiday booked
Roads split open in Grindavik ahead of possible volcanic eruption
Monday 20 November 2023 06:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
