20 November 2023 , 10:03
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Searing-hot molten magma that could destroy an entire town is close to breaching the Earth's surface in Iceland.
Iceland's meteorological service made the terrifying announcement, adding that people will need to "wait in suspense" over the coming days to see how events play out. Kristín Jónsdóttir, head of department at the Icelandic Meteorological Office explained: “While there is still magma flow into the corridor, and while our data and models show that, that probability is imminent, and we really just have to wait in suspense for the next few days to see what happens."
Decreasing seismic activity over the past 24 hours may indicate that magma is pooling very high up in the Earth's crust, in a similar way to a previous eruption recorded in 2021. The magmatic gas has been recorded at a borehole in Svartsengi, a town close to one of Iceland's most popular tourist attractions, the Blue Lagoon, which was also shuttered due to activity around the Fagradalsfjall volcano.
The doomed town of Grindavik (Andy Commins / Daily Mirror)Currently, experts believe that the town of Grindavik is most at-risk from magma, while the Hagafell mountain is the most likely spot for the volcano to erupt, according to forecasters.
Most experts believe that the eruption is a matter of when rather than if. Another Icelandic volcanologist has suggested that an area close to a power plant in Svartsengi is now entering a "new eruption phase". Professor Thorvaldur Thordarson said the land near the power plant, which supplies most of the Reykjanes Peninsula, is swelling as a chamber miles below the surface is filling with magma at a rate of 50 cubic metres per second.
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Most experts believe that the eruption will happen and they're trying to predict when that will be (Vegagerðin)
A power plant that supplies much of the peninsula is also at risk (Vegagerðin)“I think the likelihood of an eruption in the northern part of the Sundhnúkar crater row or in Illahraun lava increasing every day. I think the likelihood of an eruption there is increasing because of the land rise in that area,” Professor Thordarson told Iceland Monitor.
He added: “We’re in a new and a changed situation and we’ve entered a new the eruption phase, and so it’s very constructive for us to think about what kind of preventive measures we can take. What can we do before an eruption occurs that will help us reduce its impact on society and infrastructure?”
Yesterday, families from an Icelandic fishing town said they felt trapped at the start of a disaster movie, as they wait for the “monster under their feet” to explode.
At least 4,000 people were forced to flee the fishing town of Grindavik 10 days ago. Since then thousands of earthquakes and tremors have plagued the region, causing sinkholes, destroying roads and some homes. On Saturday alone there were 1,800 earthquakes recorded in the ' magma chamber' flowing under the town 'very close to the surface'.
The Icelandic Met Office is warning there is still a “high risk” of a volcanic eruption any day. A State of Emergency has been declared as workers battle to build giant mounds of earth to keep the lava away from the vital power plant. There are fears for the 30,000 people it supplies with electricity and hot water as they face a harsh winter that can plunge to -10C.