Huge cracks appear on roads in Icelandic town at risk of volcanic eruption
Iceland has recorded about 2,000 mini-earthquakes in the space of 24 hours as officials warn that a volcano is close to erupting, most likely close to the mountainous region of Hagafell in the “coming days”.
Iceland’s 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. “Hagafell is thought to be a prime location for an eruption,” the forecaster said.
An eruption is now feared by many experts to be a case of when, not if.
“I do think an eruption will take place, but the big question is when that might happen,” Dr Margaret Hartley, of the University of Manchester, told Live Science.
An eruption would take place when an open fracture connecting the magma dike to the Earth’s surface opens up. “The process is a bit like shaking up a can of fizzy drink – as soon as a crack opens in the top of the can, the drink escapes with lots of frothing,” said Dr Hartley.
