ICELAND VOLCANO
Drone footage shows Grindavik, Iceland ahead of imminent volcanic eruption
The Fagradalsfjall volcano in Iceland could erupt at any moment and authorities now say there may be no more than a 30-minute warning before the eruption.
Drone footage taken by Bjorn Steinbekk shows the cracks in the earth that go throughout the city of Grindavik, Iceland. The cracks were caused by more than 1,000 earthquakes, which were the result of seismic activity that began increasing around the Fagradalsfjall volcano on October 25. The following two weeks saw even more seismic activity and hundreds of earthquakes per day. This indicates that the magma is accumulating underground.
Experts now say that an eruption could occur anywhere along the “magma tunnel” that was formed. The tunnel is about 9.3 miles from Sundhnúk down to Grindavík and into the sea. Iceland’s Meteorological Office (IMO) are also saying that the eruption could occur with just 30 minutes warning. The earthquakes have slowed down in the last 24 hours, indicating that the magma has reached quite close to the earth’s surface. Residents of Grindavik, a town of 3,400 people, have been evacuated since November 11.
IMO has released a new map as of November 20 which shows an extended “danger zone” around the magma tunnel with Hagafell as the most likely spot for an eruption to occur. Svartsengi is at risk of expericncing earthquakes, and Grindavík is in the red zone, which is less of a risk than the purple zone, but is at risk of a fissure appearing and releasing lava with short notice.