State of Emergency: The Division of Civil Safety in Iceland has simply ordered a compulsory evacuation of the town of Grindavík and the Svartsengi Energy Station as a volcanic eruption seems imminent. Over 1,000 earthquakes reported over the previous 24 hours. pic.twitter.com/VkPgBz61VR
— Nahel Belgherze (@WxNB_) November 11, 2023
Fagradalsfjall volcano could be poised to erupt once more
The BBC and different media are reporting at the moment (November 11, 2023) that Iceland has declared a state of emergency after a sequence of earthquakes raised fears of a volcanic eruption at Fagradalsfjall volcano. The BBC said:
Authorities have ordered hundreds dwelling within the southwestern city of Grindavík to evacuate … The Icelandic Met Workplace says it’s involved giant quantities of magma – molten rock- is spreading underground and will floor there.
1000’s of tremors have been recorded across the close by Fagradalsfjall volcano in current weeks.
And the Icelandic Met Workplace reported close to midnight final evening that:
The seismic exercise has moved south in direction of Grindavík.
The tremors have been concentrated in Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula. This space had remained dormant to volcanic exercise for 800 years earlier than a 2021 eruption of Fagradalsfjall.
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Watch the livestream
At this YouTube link, you’ll be able to control totally different views from the Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland the place the earthquakes have been occurring. And within the photographs beneath, you’ll be able to see a number of the results of the current earthquakes within the area.
Big cracks have opened up on the Grindavík golf course in #Iceland as a result of many earthquakes they’ve had….?
? Ragnar Visage pic.twitter.com/2RUK8mwpZH
— Volcaholic ? (@volcaholic1) November 11, 2023
Good morning all,
?Iceland declares state of emergency, evacuates residents over risk of volcanic eruption ?
Emergency within the metropolis of Grindavik inIceland, is at the moment underneath obligatory evacuation, an earthquake each 5 second, Over 1,400 small earthquakes have been recorded… pic.twitter.com/QmuRYBzkhl
— Kernow Climate Crew (@KWTWeather) November 11, 2023
When Fagradalsfjall volcano awakened
The 2021 Fagradalsfjall eruption was sudden. Since then, the volcano has turn into an attraction for native individuals and overseas vacationers.
One other eruption, similar to the 2021 eruption, started on August 3, 2022, and ceased on August 21, 2022. A 3rd eruption appeared to the north of Fagradalsfjall on July 10, 2023, and ended on August 5, 2023.
Report from the Met Workplace
The Icelandic Met Office had reported earlier on November 10:
Important modifications have occurred within the seismic exercise measured close to Sundhnjúkagígar north of Grindavík and deformation noticed within the Reykjanes Peninsula this afternoon … In gentle of this end result, the police chief in Suðurnes, in cooperation with the Civil Safety Authorities, has determined to evacuate Grindavík.
An emergency degree of civil safety is now in impact. This isn’t an emergency evacuation. Residents of Grindavík are suggested to proceed with warning.
At this stage, it’s not potential to find out precisely whether or not and the place magma may attain the floor. There are indications {that a} appreciable quantity of magma is transferring in an space extending from Sundhnjúkagígum within the north in direction of Grindavík. The quantity of magma concerned is considerably greater than what was noticed within the largest magma intrusions related to the eruptions at Fagradalsfjall.
Additional knowledge is being collected to calculate fashions that present a extra correct image of the magma intrusion. It’s at the moment not potential to say when this work might be accomplished.
‘Panic’ at a preferred vacationer space
Authorities referred to as for calm, however the evacuations haven’t at all times been easy. Associated Press (AP) reported on November 10 that there was “panic” on the Blue Lagoon geothermal spa – certainly one of Iceland’s largest vacationer points of interest. AP mentioned the spa:
… closed briefly as a swarm of earthquakes put the island nation’s most populated area on alert for a potential volcanic eruption.
Friends rushed to go away the spa’s inns within the early hours of Thursday, after they had been rattled awake shortly earlier than 1 a.m. by a magnitude 4.8 quake, the strongest to hit the area because the current wave of seismic exercise started on October 25.
Bjarni Stefansson, a neighborhood taxi driver, described a scene of confusion when he arrived on the Retreat Lodge, the place lava rocks had fallen on the roadway and the parking zone was jammed with 20 to 30 cabs.
‘There was a panic scenario,’ Stefansson advised The Related Press. ‘Folks thought a volcanic eruption was about to occur.’
Backside line: Iceland declared a state of emergency on November 10, 2023, for the realm round Fagradalsfjall volcano. It was dormant for 800 years till a 2021 eruption. Now it seems poised to erupt once more.
