Iceland volcano - live: Shock images show ground splitting as eruption fears grow
Shock images show roads split apart near Grindavik in Iceland as the country braced for a volcanic eruption following a series of earthquakes and evidence of magma spreading underground.
The Icelandic Meteorological Office said that there was a “considerable” risk of an eruption on - or close to - the Reykjanes peninsula due to the size of the underground magma intrusion and the rate at which it was moving.
Seismic activity in southwestern Iceland decreased in size and intensity on Monday, but the risk of a volcanic eruption remained significant, authorities said, after earthquakes and evidence of magma spreading underground in recent weeks.
Experts said a nine-mile river of magma running beneath the peninsula was still active, putting Grindavik at risk.
In the past few days, the country has been shaken by more than 2,000 small earthquakes and thousands of people have been told to evacuate Grindavik.
The eruption was expected to begin on the seabed just southwest of the town.
Key Points
Roads split apart in at-risk town
Town of Grinvadik ‘could be destroyed’ by eruption
Thousands told to evacuate amid fears of volcanic eruption
Are flights still running?
What earthquakes have there been in Iceland?
Eruption could last ‘for weeks'
Iceland flight diverted to Edinburgh
11:50 , Simon Calder, Travel Correspondent
An easyJet flight from London Gatwick to Iceland’s second airport, Akureyri, has turned back while over the Atlantic – and diverted to Edinburgh.
The Airbus A320 had taken off normally from the Sussex airport just before 7.30am. It was on course for the northern Icelandic airport and just passing the Faroe Islands, about 350 miles short of the Iceland shore, when it turned back and landed normally at Edinburgh.
The aircraft has now refuelled and taken off again for Akureyri. It is not known if the diversion was related the seismic activity in Iceland. The Independent has asked easyJet for a comment.
The new route to the northern city began only two weeks ago.
Could an Icelandic volcano ground flights like in 2010?
11:00 , Simon Calder, Travel Correspondent
Q Given the volcanic situation in Iceland, is it going to be another 2010 in aviation?
Raj
A As I write, the Reykjanes peninsula, southwest of Reykjavik, is seething with seismic activity. Grindavik, a town of nearly 4,000 inhabitants, was evacuated on Saturday as experts assess the threat of a volcanic eruption. Iceland’s main international airport, Keflavik, is just 10 miles north of the town. Yet flights are operating normally, which some may find surprising.
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. Eyjafjallajokull erupted with a glacier on top. The addition of melting water meant that the lava cooled very quickly into tiny fragments. These were promptly propelled into the atmosphere to a height of 30,000ft by the steam produced in the eruption. A quarter of a billion cubic metres of volcanic ash were ejected and carried southeast towards the UK and continental Europe by the breeze.
Read more here:
Could an Icelandic volcano ground flights like in 2010?
Inhabitants of Grindavik describe being whisked from homes
10:11 , Tara Cobham
Inhabitants of Grindavik described being whisked from their homes in the early hours of Saturday as the ground shook, roads cracked and buildings suffered structural damage.
Hans Vera, a Belgian-born 56-year-old who has lived in Iceland since 1999, said there had been a constant shaking of his family’s house.
“You would never be steady, it was always shaking, so there was no way to get sleep,” said Vera, who is now staying at his sister-in-law’s home in a Reykjavik suburb.
“It’s not only the people in Grindavik who are shocked about this situation it’s the whole of Iceland.”
Almost all of the town’s 3,800 inhabitants had been able to find accommodation with family members or friends, and only between 50 and 70 people were staying at evacuation centres, a rescue official said.
Some evacuees were briefly allowed back into the town on Sunday to collect belongings such as documents, medicines or pets, but were not allowed to drive themselves.
“You have to park your car five kilometres from town and there’s 20 cars, huge cars from the rescue team, 20 policemen, all blinking lights, it’s just unreal, it’s like a war zone or something, it’s really strange,” Vera said.
Are flights still running amid fears of volcano eruption?
09:11 , Holly Evans
Iceland has declared a state of emergency after hundreds of earthquakes struck the southwestern Reykjanes peninsula in the past 48 hours.
Despite fears of an impending volcanic eruption, flights from the UK to Keflavik international airport 10 miles north of the eruption site are going ahead as usual.
On Sunday 12 November, all scheduled flights from Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton, Stansted and Manchester landed without incident.
Iceland earthquakes: Are flights still running amid fears over volcano eruption?
Residents report constant shaking in town of Grindavik
08:40 , Holly Evans
Thorvaldur Thordarson, professor in vulcanology at the University of Iceland, said most recent data indicated a smaller risk of an eruption in the area around the town of Grindavik.
Inhabitants of Grindavik described being whisked from their homes in the early hours of Saturday as the ground shook, roads cracked and buildings suffered structural damage.
Hans Vera, a Belgian-born 56-year-old who has lived in Iceland since 1999, said there had been a constant shaking of his family’s house.
“You would never be steady, it was always shaking, so there was no way to get sleep,” said Vera, who is now staying at his sister-in-law’s home in a Reykjavik suburb.
“It’s not only the people in Grindavik who are shocked about this situation it’s the whole of Iceland.”
What are your rights if you are on holiday or are planning to go?
07:54 , Holly Evans
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.
Read more from travel correspondent Simon Calder below
Iceland earthquakes: Your rights if you are on holiday there or are planning to go
How many active volcanoes are there in Iceland
07:00 , Namita Singh
Iceland is accustomed to volcanic eruption and is home to 33 active volcanoes, reported AFP.
Reykjanes peninsula itself has seen three eruptions since 2021, one each year – in March 2021, August 2022 and July 2023.
But these three were located away from infrastructure or populated areas. The country is susceptible to earthquakes because it sits on a tectonic plate boundary that continually splits apart, pushing North America and Eurasia away from each other along the line of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
A powerful mantle plume, an area that is hotter than the surrounding magma, sits below it, which melts and thins the Earth’s crust, putting Iceland at a constant risk of volcanic eruption.
In pictures: A view of cracks on a road due to volcanic activity near Grindavik
06:30 , Namita Singh
Locals return home to collect belongings
06:00 , Namita Singh
Residents of Grindavik were allowed back briefly on Monday to collect their belongings.
Thousands of people were evacuated from the south-western Reykjanes Peninsula over the weekend after the region was hit by hundreds of quakes amid fears of a volcanic eruption.
Pedrag, a native Serb who evacuated with his wife on Friday, said the couple went home on Monday to retrieve some belongings.
An evacuation order for Grindavik was given in the early hours of Saturday.
“If you talk to Icelandic people who have lived there all their lives, they say they have never felt something like that,” he told the BBC.
The police in Suðurnes decided to close Grindavík at 4pm yesterday. People had time until then to collect necessities from their homes before the town was evacuated again.
The Reykjanes peninsula is a volcanic and seismic hot spot southwest of the capital. In March 2021, lava fountains erupted spectacularly from a fissure in the ground measuring between 500-750 metres long in the region’s Fagradalsfjall volcanic system.
Volcanic activity in the area continued for six months that year, prompting thousands of Icelanders and tourists to visit the scene. In August 2022, a three-week eruption happened in the same area, followed by another in July of this year.
05:30 , Namita Singh
Roughly 900 earthquakes rattled Iceland since midnight, many of them reported along a 9-mile magma tunnel running beneath the seaside town of Grindavik, said the Icelandic Meteorological Office on Monday, according to national public service broadcaster RÚV.
Magma has been measured at a depth of 800m at the shallowest point of a 15km magma tunnel that runs through the town.
Are flights still running amid fears of volcano eruption?
05:00 , Namita Singh
Iceland has declared a state of emergency after hundreds of earthquakes struck the southwestern Reykjanes peninsula over the weekend.
Despite fears of an impending volcanic eruption, flights from the UK to Keflavik international airport 10 miles north of the eruption site are going ahead as usual, report Simon Calder and Lydia Patrick.
Iceland earthquakes: Are flights still running amid fears over volcano eruption?
Watch: Iceland roads cracked and evacuations ordered amid looming volcanic eruption
04:30 , Namita Singh
Iceland roads cracked and evacuations ordered amid looming volcanic eruption
ICYMI: Town of Grindavik could be obliterated if volcanic eruption strikes
04:00 , Matt Mathers
A volcanic eruption could destroy the Icelandic town of Grindavik or lead to extensive ash clouds, experts have warned.
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.
Lydia Patrick reports:
Iceland earthquake: Town could be obliterated if volcanic eruption strikes
Could an Icelandic volcano ground flights like in 2010?
03:36 , Namita Singh
From fears of the effect of the volcanic situation in Iceland on the aviation sector to whether one should go ahead with the vacation plans, our travel correspondent Simon Calder answers your questions on the land of ice and fire.
Could an Icelandic volcano ground flights like in 2010?
Inhabitants whisked from home amid fear of volcanic eruption
03:09 , Namita Singh
Inhabitants of Grindavik described being whisked from their homes in the early hours of Saturday as the ground shook, roads cracked and buildings suffered structural damage.
Hans Vera, a Belgian-born 56-year-old who has lived in Iceland since 1999, said there had been a constant shaking of his family’s house.
“You would never be steady, it was always shaking, so there was no way to get sleep,” said Mr Vera, who is now staying at his sister-in-law’s home in a Reykjavik suburb.
“It’s not only the people in Grindavik who are shocked about this situation, it’s the whole of Iceland.”
Almost all of the town’s 3,800 inhabitants had been able to find accommodation with family members or friends, and only between 50 and 70 people were staying at evacuation centres, a rescue official said.
Some evacuees were briefly allowed back into the town on Sunday to collect belongings such as documents, medicines or pets, but were not allowed to drive themselves.
“You have to park your car five kilometres from town and there’s 20 cars, huge cars from the rescue team, 20 policemen, all blinking lights, it’s just unreal, it’s like a war zone or something, it’s really strange,” Mr Vera said.
ICYMI: Iceland evacuates town and raises aviation alert as concerns rise a volcano may erupt
03:00 , Matt Mathers
Residents of a fishing town in southwestern Iceland left their homes Saturday after increasing concern about a potential volcanic eruption caused civil defense authorities to declare a state of emergency in the region.
Police decided to evacuate Grindavik after recent seismic activity in the area moved south toward 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 50 kilometers (31 miles) southwest of the capital, Reykjavik.
Full report:
Iceland evacuates town and raises aviation alert as concerns rise a volcano may erupt
Risk of volcanic eruption in Iceland remains high
02:54 , Namita Singh
Seismic activity in southwestern Iceland decreased in size and intensity on Monday, but the risk of a volcanic eruption remained significant, authorities said, after earthquakes and evidence of magma spreading underground in recent weeks.
Almost 4,000 people were evacuated over the weekend as authorities feared that molten rock would rise to the surface of the earth and potentially hit a coastal town and a geothermal power station.
Located between the Eurasian and the North American tectonic plates, among the largest on the planet, Iceland is a seismic and volcanic hot spot as the two plates move in opposite directions.
The Icelandic Meteorological Office said on Monday there was a “significant likelihood” of an eruption in coming days on or just off the Reykjanes peninsula near the capital Reykjavik, despite the size and intensity of earthquakes decreasing.
“We believe that this intrusion is literally hovering, sitting in equilibrium now just below the earth’s surface,” said Matthew James Roberts, director of the service and research division at the meteorological office.
“We have this tremendous uncertainty now. Will there be an eruption and if so, what sort of damage will occur?” he said.
Thorvaldur Thordarson, professor in vulcanology at the University of Iceland, said most recent data indicated a smaller risk of an eruption in the area around the town of Grindavik.
ICYMI: Grindavik couple fear losing their home after evacuating: ‘It’s a pretty grim situation’
02:00 , Matt Mathers
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.
Sarah Ping reports:
Grindavik couple fear losing home after evacuating: ‘It’s a pretty grim situation’
Mapped: Iceland earthquake locations revealed as volcano eruption alert issued
01:00 , Matt Mathers
Iceland is highly susceptible to natural disasters as it lies on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge – a divergent plate boundary where the North American Plate and the Eurasian Plate are moving away from each other, leading to volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.
Here is a map of all the earthquakes that have taken place in recent days:
Mapped: Iceland earthquake locations revealed as volcano eruption alert issued
ICYM: Iceland earthquakes - What are your rights if you are on holiday or are planning to go
00:01 , Matt Mathers
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.
I am in Iceland. Will I be able to leave?
Simon Calder reports:
Iceland earthquakes: Your rights if you are on holiday there or are planning to go
ICYMI: Are flights still running amid fears of volcano eruption?
Monday 13 November 2023 23:00 , Matt Mathers
Iceland has declared a state of emergency after hundreds of earthquakes struck the southwestern Reykjanes peninsula in the past 48 hours.
Despite fears of an impending volcanic eruption, flights from the UK to Keflavik international airport 10 miles north of the eruption site are going ahead as usual.
Simon Calder reports:
Iceland earthquakes: Are flights still running amid fears over volcano eruption?
Grindavik couple fear losing their home after evacuating: ‘It’s a pretty grim situation’
Monday 13 November 2023 22:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
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, Iceland’s Meteorological Office said.
Grindavik couple fear losing home after evacuating: ‘It’s a pretty grim situation’
Iceland roads cracked and evacuations ordered amid looming volcanic eruption
Monday 13 November 2023 21:45 , Matt Mathers
Roads split apart near Grindavik in Iceland as the country prepared for a volcanic eruption following a series of earthquakes and evidence of magma spreading underground.
On Saturday, 11 November, the Icelandic Meteorological Office that there was a “considerable” risk of an eruption on or close to the Reykjanes peninsula due to the size of the underground magma intrusion and the rate at which it was moving.
In the past few days, the country has been shaken by more than 2,000 small earthquakes and thousands of people have been told to evacuate Grindavik.
The eruption is expected to begin on the seabed just southwest of the town. Watch the clip here:
Iceland roads cracked and evacuations ordered amid looming volcanic eruption
Mapped: Iceland earthquake locations revealed as volcano eruption alert issued
Monday 13 November 2023 21:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Thousands have been told to evacuate the town of Grindavik as a precautionary measure as a magma tunnel stretches below the surface.
The UK foreign office has updated its travel advice, warning that a volcanic eruption is increasingly likely.
Its official warning reads: “Earthquakes and indications of volcanic activity have increased above normal levels on the Reykjanes peninsula, southwest of Reykjavik.
Mapped: Iceland earthquake locations revealed as volcano eruption alert issued
Most of Grendavik’s residents find shelter with family or friends
Monday 13 November 2023 20:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Almost all of the town of Grendavik’s 3,800 inhabitants had been able to find accommodation with family members or friends, and only between 50 and 70 people were staying at evacuation centres, a rescue official said.
Some evacuees were briefly allowed back into the town on Sunday to collect belongings such as documents, medicines or pets, but were not allowed to drive themselves.
“You have to park your car five kilometres from town and there’s 20 cars, huge cars from the rescue team, 20 policemen, all blinking lights, it’s just unreal, it’s like a war zone or something, it’s really strange,” Vera said.
The Reykjanes peninsula is a volcanic and seismic hot spot southwest of the capital. In March 2021, lava fountains erupted spectacularly from a fissure in the ground measuring between 500-750 metres long in the region’s Fagradalsfjall volcanic system.
Volcanic activity in the area continued for six months that year, prompting thousands of Icelanders and tourists to visit the scene. In August 2022, a three-week eruption happened in the same area, followed by another in July of this year.
Evacuation orders have been issued with safety in mind - PM
Monday 13 November 2023 19:36 , Matt Mathers
Iceland’s prime minister has said evacuation orders have been issued with the “safety of residents in mind”.
“As we can all imagine, it is a huge decision to ask people to leave their homes at short notice,” Katrin Jakobsdottir told parliament.
“We all feel how heavy this uncertainty rests on them,” she added.
“Efforts are being made to create a space so that residents can pick up the most necessary items in the building, but always with people’s safety as a priority.”
Recent data indicates ‘smaller eruption’ around town of Grindavik
Monday 13 November 2023 19:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Thorvaldur Thordarson, professor in vulcanology at the University of Iceland, said most recent data indicated a smaller risk of an eruption in the area around the town of Grindavik.
Inhabitants of Grindavik described being whisked from their homes in the early hours of Saturday as the ground shook, roads cracked and buildings suffered structural damage.
Hans Vera, a Belgian-born 56-year-old who has lived in Iceland since 1999, said there had been a constant shaking of his family’s house.
“You would never be steady, it was always shaking, so there was no way to get sleep,” said Vera, who is now staying at his sister-in-law’s home in a Reykjavik suburb.
“It’s not only the people in Grindavik who are shocked about this situation it’s the whole of Iceland.”
Risk of volcanic eruption in Iceland remains high
Monday 13 November 2023 18:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Seismic activity in southwestern Iceland decreased in size and intensity on Monday, but the risk of a volcanic eruption remained significant, authorities said, after earthquakes and evidence of magma spreading underground in recent weeks.
Almost 4,000 people were evacuated over the weekend as authorities feared that molten rock would rise to the surface of the earth and potentially hit a coastal town and a geothermal power station.
Located between the Eurasian and the North American tectonic plates, among the largest on the planet, Iceland is a seismic and volcanic hot spot as the two plates move in opposite directions.
The Icelandic Meteorological Office said on Monday there was a “significant likelihood” of an eruption in coming days on or just off the Reykjanes peninsula near the capital Reykjavik, despite the size and intensity of earthquakes decreasing.
“We believe that this intrusion is literally hovering, sitting in equilibrium now just below the earth’s surface,” said Matthew James Roberts, director of the service and research division at the meteorological office.
“We have this tremendous uncertainty now. Will there be an eruption and if so, what sort of damage will occur?” he said.
Watch: Iceland roads cracked and evacuations ordered amid looming volcanic eruption
Monday 13 November 2023 18:00 , Athena Stavrou
Cracks were on roads near Grindavik in Iceland as the country prepared for a volcanic eruption following a series of earthquakes and evidence of magma spreading underground.
Watch more:
Iceland roads cracked and evacuations ordered amid looming volcanic eruption
Steam rises from fissure in road near Grindavik
Monday 13 November 2023 17:30 , Athena Stavrou
Steam has been pictured rising from a giant fissure formed in a road near the town of Grindavik on Monday following seismic activity.
Residents of the town in southwestern Iceland were briefly allowed to return to their homes to collect valuables and animals following their evacuation on Saturday
Iceland ‘constantly shaking’, says resident
Monday 13 November 2023 17:00 , Athena Stavrou
Inhabitants of the town of Grindavik described being whisked from their homes in the early hours of Saturday as the ground shook, roads cracked and buildings suffered structural damage
.Hans Vera, a Belgian-born 56-year-old who has lived in Iceland since 1999, said there had been a constant shaking of his family’s house.
“You would never be steady, it was always shaking, so there was no way to get sleep,” said Vera, who is now staying at his sister-in-law’s home in a Reykjavik suburb.
“It’s not only the people in Grindavik who are shocked about this situation it’s the whole of Iceland,” he said.
Where is Grindavik and what could happen to it?
Monday 13 November 2023 16:30 , Athena Stavrou
Residents of Grindavik were briefly allowed back into their homes on Monday to retrieve their valuables and save their pets.
Locals were evacuated on Saturday after experts warned volcanic eruption could destroy the entire town of Grindavik or lead to extensive ash clouds.
Read more:
Iceland earthquake: Town could be obliterated if volcanic eruption strikes
Road administration show huge hole in Icelandic road
Monday 13 November 2023 15:45 , Athena Stavrou
Iceland’s road administration has shared a video showing the massive damage done to roads near Grindavík.
The video was taken west of the evacuated town and was described as being “in pieces” and “impassable” by the administration.
Whoahh! Extensive damage to roads west of #Grindavik, #Iceland. All roads are still closed to public traffic.
📹 Road administration pic.twitter.com/Vg6Ee9zEFe— Volcaholic 🌋 (@volcaholic1) November 13, 2023
Grindavik to be closed at 4pm
Monday 13 November 2023 15:15 , Athena Stavrou
Icelandic police will close once again close the town of Grindavik at 4pm today - after residents were let in for five minutes to retrieve valuables.
Local media reported 30 minutes later the town will be completely evacuated.
Large queues of vehicles were seen on the road to Grindavik on Monday after the town was evacuated on Saturday.
Pictures: Huge queues on road heading to the town of Grindavik
Monday 13 November 2023 14:43 , Athena Stavrou
Residents of Grindavik, a town in southwestern Iceland, have been briefly allowed to return to their homes on Monday after being told to evacuate.
They were ordered to leave on Saturday after increasing concern about a potential volcanic eruption caused civil defense authorities to declare a state of emergency in the region.
Now, pictures show large queues of vehicles trying to head back to the town to retrieve valuables.
Flying to Iceland this week? Foreign Office advice
Monday 13 November 2023 14:16 , Alex Ross
Booked your flights to go to Iceland, wondering if it’s safe?
Well, despite the evacuated town of Grindavik being just 10 miles south of Keflavik International Airport, travel to the island destination is not advised against by The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.
This means holiday companies can continue to operate flights and packages as normal.
However, the Government department has issued the following warning: “On 10 November, a Civil Protection Alert was declared after an intense swarm of earthquakes. The town of Grindavík was evacuated as a precaution. Some roads have been closed and visitors are advised to stay away from the area. Keflavik International Airport is operating as normal.
“While there is no current eruption, it is increasingly possible that one could occur. You should monitor local media for updates and follow the authorities advice on travel to the area.”
Asked if he would go to Iceland right now, The Independent’s Simon Calder said: “Yes, I would relish the opportunity. Late November is an excellent time to visit Iceland for good value. Conditions right now are also excellent for the prospect of a good show to the Northern Lights, which are at a peak of the usual 11-year cosmic cycle.”
What are the similarities to the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption
Monday 13 November 2023 13:58 , Alex Ross
If you planned air travel across western Europe between March and June 2010, you will not have forgotten the impact of the Eyjafjallajökull eruption in Iceland which resulted in huge disruption to flights.
And so with people understandably concerned over what will happen with the latest eruption on the island 1,128 miles from the UK, we ask what are the similarities between the two eruptions, all be it one hasn’t happened yet.
Mike Burton, professor of volcanology at Manchester unversity, said: “At the start of the 2010 eruption there was an eruption of recently intruded magma before the major eruption which caused all the airline disruption.
“That larger eruption was fed by an older magma reservoir which was reactivated by the intrusion of fresh magma.
“In the areas where the intrusion is happening now in the Reykjanes peninsula its unlikely that there is a major older reservoir, so while the initial process of fresh magma intrusion is the same now as in 2010, the outcome is likely to be much more like the eruption of 2014/15 Holuhraun.”
The eruption in Holuhraun lasted for almost six months, but thanks to its remote location in the central highland, neither the lava flow or a large amount of sulfuric gases surfaced.
Watch aerial footage of Iceland's lava fields as eruptions near
British travellers arriving in Iceland in their thousands
Monday 13 November 2023 13:45 , Athena Stavrou
Travellers from the UK are continuing to arrive at Keflavik International Airport in their thousands each day.
Iceland is an increasing popular destination from the UK, especially for the prospect of a sighting of the Northern Lights. Keflavik is also an important hub for flights between Europe and North America.
Over the weekend flights from major British airports have been touching down as normal.
On Monday another 19 flights from nine UK airports – including four from Manchester and three each from Heathrow, Gatwick and Luton – are due to land at Iceland’s main gateway.
That represents upwards of 3,000 passengers arriving and the same number departing.
British Airways says: “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.”
An easyJet statement read: “Our flying schedule is currently operating as normal however we are monitoring the situation closely and should this change we will contact customers directly to advise on their flights.”
Eruption in the next few days ‘still highly likely'
Monday 13 November 2023 13:33 , Alex Ross
One question being asked by many people is when the predicted eruption will take place, and how long will it last.
Setting the scene, it’s not unusual for there to be earthquakes in the region around the Icelandic capital, Reykavik. What’s different now is that since late October there has been a notable increase in the number.
This has led to the country bracing itself for an volcanic eruption, with the town of Grindavik, positioned above an underground river of magma, already evacuated.
Bill McGuire, professor emeritus of geophysical and climate hazards at University College London, said: “Earthquake activity has died down a little overnight, but an eruption in the next few days is still highly likely.
“Modelling suggests that magma is rising along a 15km-long fracture and is now as close to the surface as 800m or even less.”
Dr Michele Paulatto, from Imperial College London, said: “Any eruption is likely to be effusive, unless it happens under the sea or very near the coast. It could be large, based on the size of the dyke and the magnitude of the ground deformation, but is unlikely to be similar to the Eyjafjallajokull eruption of 2011.
“Evacuations could last a long time but are likely to affect only a relatively small area.”
Mapped: Iceland earthquake locations revealed
Monday 13 November 2023 13:10 , Athena Stavrou
As Iceland has experienced a seismic swarm of 30,000 earthquakes in the last three weeks, Lydia Patrick maps which areas have been hit by the worst of the tremors:
Mapped: Iceland earthquake locations revealed as volcano eruption alert issued
Iceland’s seismic vulnerability
Monday 13 November 2023 12:33 , Athena Stavrou
Iceland is highly suceptible to natrual disasters as it lies on the Mid Atlantic Ridge – a divergent plate boundary where the North American Plate and the Eurasian Plate are moving away from each other, leading to volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.
The Reykjanes region has in recent years seen several eruptions in unpopulated areas, but the current outbreak is believed to pose an immediate risk to the town, authorities said.
On Thursday, increased seismic activity prompted the closure of the Blue Lagoon geothermal spa, one of the country’s main tourist attractions.
Reykjanes is a volcanic and seismic hot spot southwest of the capital Reykjavik. In March 2021, lava fountains erupted spectacularly from a fissure in the ground measuring between 500 to 750 metres long in the region’s Fagradalsfjall volcanic system.
Volcanic activity in the area continued for six months that year, prompting thousands of Icelanders and tourists to visit the scene. In August 2022, a three-week eruption happened in the same area, followed by another in July of this year.
The Fagradalsfjall system, which is around 6 km wide and 19 km long, had remained inactive for more than 6,000 years prior to the recent eruptions.
Rescue teams ready to help residents return
Monday 13 November 2023 12:05 , Athena Stavrou
Rescue teams are preparing to assist evacuated Grindavík residents return to collect their valuables, local media reported.
Icelandic broadcaster RUV said several people and vehicles had gathered to help people get into the eastern part of Grindavík.
Around 30 people had returned briefly yesterday to collect valuables and attend to animals.
Iceland earthquakes: What are your rights if you are on holiday or are planning to go?
Monday 13 November 2023 11:21 , Athena Stavrou
Iceland has seen a wave if intense seismic activity this week and a state of emergency has been declared.
Yet, flights are continuing to arrive and depart as normal. These are the key questions and answers on consumer right, answered by Simon Calder.
Iceland earthquakes: Your rights if you are on holiday there or are planning to go
‘This could be last time we see our home’ – couple evacuate after earthquake
Monday 13 November 2023 10:54 , Athena Stavrou
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.
Ms McLean, 34, captured the moment the furniture and light fixtures shook violently in Mr Gunnarsson’s home on Friday.
“At around four on Friday, (the earthquakes) just started being non-stop. Just constant big quakes for hours,” Mr Gunnarsson, 29, told the PA news agency
“First and foremost, the thought that you might never see your home town ever again, that’s tough.
“We all rushed out of (Grindavik) so quickly, in a matter of hours, so we didn’t really think at the time that might possibly be the last time we see our home, so that’s been difficult.
“It’s a pretty grim situation at the moment.”
Pictures: Huge cracks appear after wave of seismic activity
Monday 13 November 2023 10:36 , Athena Stavrou
Iceland expected to pass infrastructure defence bill as fear of eruption looms
Monday 13 November 2023 09:29 , Athena Stavrou
Iceland’s parliament will debate - and most likely pass - an infrastructure defence bill to protect the vulnerable area of Grindavík.
Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir said she expects unanimity on the bill and does not rule out more parliamentary bills related to the seismic events, national broadcaster RUV said.
Icelandic parliament will convene at 12:30pm today with the bill being the only item on the agenda.
The bill will raise revenue for the construction on infrastructure defence.
If an eruption happens, could there be another airspace shutdown as in 2010?
Monday 13 November 2023 09:02 , Simon Calder
Readers have been asking whether an Icelandic volcano could shut down aviation once more – and why Iceland’s main international airport, just 10 miles north of the seismic action, is still operating normally?
In April 2010, the Eyjafjallajökull 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.
Eyjafjallajökull erupted with a glacier on top. The addition of melting water meant that the lava cooled very quickly into tiny fragments.
These were promptly propelled into the atmosphere to a height of 30,000 feet by the steam produced in the eruption. A quarter of a billion cubic metres of volcanic ash was ejected and was carried southeast towards the UK and Continental Europe by the breeze.
The fear was that volcanic ash could damage jet engines and potentially bring down aircraft. In the biggest shutdown of aviation since the Second World War, 50,000 flights were cancelled and eight million passengers had their travel plans wrecked.
Even if, as seismologists predict, a new volcano is formed, the eruption would not have anything like the same effect. The lava will cool and remain on the ground.
In addition, new guidelines established in the wake of the large-scale shutdown allow aircraft to fly if volcanic ash is present in reasonably small quantities.
Another Icelandic volcano erupted in 2011, and in that case only 1 per cent of flights in northern Europe were cancelled – rather than 100 per cent in 2010.
Eruption could last ‘for weeks'
Monday 13 November 2023 08:35 , Athena Stavrou
An Icelandic Met Office official said a volcanic eruption could last ‘for weeks’
Matthew James Roberts, the managing director of the service and research division said over 30,000 eruptions had been detected in the area since activity began three weeks ago.
Speaking about the potential differences between this eruption and 2010’s eruption which caused severe travel disruption He told Radio 4’s Today Programme: “This location would be different.
He said: “First of all there isn’t an ice cap on top and it’s not a stratovolcano so wouldn’t be an explosive blast of volcanic ash into the atmosphere.
“This would be a lava-producing volcanic eruption along a series of fishers and that would be the main hazard.
“Blowing lava an eruption that persists for weeks possible and that means roads and other forms of infrastructure could be eventually in harm’s way.”
300 earthquakes today already
Monday 13 November 2023 07:59 , Athena Stavrou
Since midnight last night, there have been 340 earthquakes in Iceland.
Around 300 of these have been recorded at the magma intrusion but are all below magnitude three.
Civil Defence and The Met Office review and issue new data at 9.30am, where among other things the current depth of the magma will be discussed
Roads ‘gone’ in one part of Iceland
Monday 13 November 2023 07:25 , Athena Stavrou
One of the 30 residents who received permission to collect their belongings from the Þórkätlustaða in Grindavík told local media the roads were in bad shape.
Sævar Þór Birgisson told national broadcaster RUV that it was an “absolutely terrible situation, but my house looked better than I dared to hope.”
He said he only had two to three minutes to collect his belongings but “got through” the chaos.
ICYMI - Town of Grindavik ‘could be obliterated’ if volcanic eruption strikes
Monday 13 November 2023 07:00 , Lydia Patrick
A volcanic eruption could destroy the Icelandic town of Grindavik or lead to extensive ash clouds, experts have warned.
The country has been shaken by more than 2,000 small earthquakes in the past few days prompting fears the tremours 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 as a magma tunnel stretches below the surface.
If an eruption occurs in or close to the town, the consequences will be devastating, volcanologist Ármann Höskuldsson warned.
He told news site 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.
Iceland earthquake: Town ‘could be obliterated’ if volcanic eruption strikes
Earthquake activity in Reykjanes Peninsula decreasing
Monday 13 November 2023 06:30 , Maroosha Muzaffar
Earthquake activity in the Reykjanes Peninsula has decreased, according to local reports. The earthquakes are getting smaller and fewer, Elísabet Pálmadóttir, natural hazard expert at the Icelandic Meteorological Office was quoted as saying by Iceland’s mbl.is.
“The area has even been recovering from that. So it’s expected to slowly diminish,” she said.
Meanwhile, there were at least 2800 earthquakes on Sunday in the region northwest of Grindavík. All were below 3.0 in magnitude.
There continues to be a significant likelihood of a volcanic eruption.
Woman dashes to retrieve her belongings
Monday 13 November 2023 06:00 , Lydia Patrick
One Þórkätlustaða resident Sólveig Þorbergsdóttir was one of the lucky ones who could quickly return to her home to grab any last belongings.
She told RUV her home is fine but her neighbours are badly damaged.She told the paper: “You are so confused when you go in. I saved what I saw around me. Pictures of the grandchildren, the wedding dress, pictures of myself when I was little, items from the thrift store and artwork that I can maybe sell, and cameras.”
