News Alert: Volcanic Activity in Iceland Raises Concerns of Impending Eruption
Recent seismic activity in Iceland has sparked fears of a potential volcanic eruption on the Reykjanes Peninsula. Over the past week, thousands of earthquakes have been recorded, indicating the rising of magma towards the surface. As a precautionary measure, the town of Grindavik, renowned for the popular Blue Lagoon, has been evacuated, leaving its residents uncertain about the future of their homes.
"It feels like being trapped in a tedious movie with no way out," expressed Einar Dagbjartsson in an interview with Reuters. "The situation feels surreal and is difficult to comprehend."
Einar Dagbjartsson, a 62-year-old pilot, is among the 3,800 individuals who were forced to leave their homes in Grindavik, a fishing town located just a short drive away from Keflavík International Airport.
"It's a ghost town now," stated Stefan Velemir, an Iceland police officer, during an interview with Reuters. "From a population of 3,800 to zero."
Volcanic Eruption Imminent in Iceland
Meteorologists in the country have been warning for days that a volcanic eruption could happen at any moment. More than 700 earthquakes overnight on Tuesday and another 800 within roughly six hours early Wednesday morning, and according to the Icelandic Met Office, hundreds more have transpired since. Between Wednesday and Friday, the office has recorded more than 800 additional earthquakes, most of which were minor.
The office also detected sulfur dioxide earlier this week, an indicator that magma is getting closer to the surface and that a volcanic eruption will likely occur.
"The likelihood of an eruption remains high," meteorologists said in their latest update on Tuesday.
Velemir told Reuters that some homes have already been "completely damaged" as earthquakes have formed massive cracks in the city's streets and sidewalks. Steam has been seen rising from many of those gaps.
"We allowing people to go for five minutes into each home," Velemir said. "One person from each home goes five minutes and grabs all the necessities."
Dagbjartsson said he hasn't slept well for days and is constantly checking the news to see if the eruption began.
And he isn't the only one. Ingibjorn Gretarsdottir told Reuters she had to wait in a five-hour queue of residents hoping to get back into town to retrieve items from her home, which resides in a designated red zone – the area considered most dangerous and closest to where its expected an eruption could occur. While the house is fine for now, she said the ground nearby has collapsed roughly 3 feet.
Residents Fear for Their Homes as Lava Threatens Town
"[The town] looks awful. It's very hard to go there and see everything," a resident expressed. "The lava is under our house ... We don't know if we're going to have a home or what ... we don't know anything."
Despite the ongoing earthquakes and the imminent threat of an eruption, another resident expressed hope of being able to return home. However, their optimism hinges on the survival of the harbor, which is vital for the fishing village.
"Even though half of the town would go under, well, if the harbor will be OK, it's going to build up again," the resident said. "If the harbor goes, I think it's over."
