Huge cracks appear on roads in Icelandic town at risk of volcanic eruption
Iceland has been rocked by 180 earthquakes in the last 48 hours in areas both near and far from the town of Grindavik, the Icelandic Met Office has reported.
The magnitude of the earthquakes ranged from 0.7 to 2.4, with the highest magnitude quake striking on Monday morning.
It comes as the country’s Met Office has said that while seismic activity is decreasing, the “unrest phase is not over”.
“The process which began on 25 October with a significant seismic swarm and peaked on 10 November with the formation of a 15 km long magmatic dike is not over.
“With certainty it can be stated that a phase has started where a similar sequence of events might repeat in time.”
A fortnight ago, Grindavik was evacuated after magma-induced seismic activity tore vast chasms through the streets.
A volcanic eruption in Indonesia has killed at least 11 hikers. The 2,891-metre-tall Marapi volcano in West Sumatra province erupted on Sunday, spewing ash as high as 3km into the sky that rained volcanic debris onto nearby villages.
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Professor doubts huge earthquakes of November 10 will repeat themselves
Þorvaldur Þórðarson, professor of volcanology at the University of Iceland, says if the land mass on the Reykjanes Peninsula continues at the same rate as now an eruption could happen.
“It could then lead to an eruption or magma intrusion at an even lower depth, and there would be some earthquakes with that, but I think it’s unlikely that it will be directly under Grindavík,” says Þorvaldur.
But he added he doubts that the sequence of events on the eve of November 10 will repeat itself.
Barney Davis5 December 2023 03:17
200 Grindavik families still need housing
About 200 families are still in need of housing, according to Karl Pétur Jónsson, the information representative of the Executive Office.
The agency advertised this weekend for available apartments and private houses for rent for at least three months for families and individuals from Grindvís.
Hulda Ragnheiður Árnadóttir, CEO of Iceland’s Natural Disaster Insurance, says that there is a definite hole in the system, as there is only a fund intended for the purchase of properties that are in flood risk areas.
“We have not previously been in the position of having to release people from living in properties in dangerous areas that are not flood risk areas,” says Hulda.
Barney Davis5 December 2023 01:17
Cracks being measured by scientists after Grindavik earthquakes
More pictures of the cracks in the earth around Grindavik have been taken by researchers.
Grindavík remains closed to public traffic.
Barney Davis4 December 2023 23:17
Companies allowed to operate in Grindavik as public access restricted into town split in two
The chief of police has extended the time that companies can stay open in Grindavík.
Companies can start operating at 7am and then work until 9pm.
As before, residents can enter the town 7am but must leave it at five in the afternoon.
Grindavík remains closed to public traffic, but it will be possible to enter the town via Suðurstrandarveg and Nesveg.
Cars will be counted in and out of the area, but people will not be followed Rescue teams will be on alert across the town.
Barney Davis4 December 2023 19:00
What to do with Grindavík: Has Iceland’s #1 selfie spot just emerged out of the ground?
From the spectacular Northern Lights to the stunning waters of Blue Lagoon, Iceland is certainly not short of tourist attractions.
As fears of an imminent volcanic eruption subside, the town is looking at how best to recover after streets were torn up and residents fled for safety.
The crater left behind in the wake of the chaos spreads from a Lutheran church and nursery all the way through a children’s playground and underneath the fabled Grindavík basketball team’s plush new stadium with the season about to start.
Barney Davis4 December 2023 17:39
Biggest volcanic eruptions in the last 10 years as Iceland town faces devastation
As Iceland waits in trepidation for the looming volcanic eruption, we take a look at some of the biggest volcanic eruptions in the last decade:
Maryam Zakir-Hussain4 December 2023 15:47
Indonesia’s Mount Marapi spouts thick ash plumes after eruption kills 11 hikers
Indonesia’s Mount Marapi volcano spewed plumes of thick ash into the sky after its eruption killed 11 hikers and left 12 more missing. Marapi erupted on Sunday, 3 December, blanketing nearby towns in volcanic ash and stranding and injuring climbers. Rescuers found the bodies of 11 climbers. Three were found alive and at least 12 climbers are still missing. Residents and visitors have been barred from any activities within 3 kilometres of the crater. Marapi is one of the 127 active volcanoes in the Pacific Ocean’s ‘Ring of Fire,’ which Indonesia sits in the middle of.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain4 December 2023 14:44
Volcano eruption in Indoesia spewed ash 3km into sky
The 2,891 metre high volcano that erupted in Indonesia spewed ash as high as 3km into the sky on Sunday.
Marapi is one of the most active volcanoes on Sumatra island and its most deadly eruption was in April 1979, when 60 people were killed. This year, it erupted between January and February and was spewing ash around 75 metres-1,000 metres from the peak.
Authorities raised the alert to the second-highest level and prohibited residents from going within 3 km of the crater.
Video footage showed a huge cloud of volcanic ash spread widely across the sky, and cars and roads covered with ash.
A small eruption on Monday morning prompted the search to be temporarily suspended for a few hours. The eruption spewed volcanic ash around 800 metres high.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain4 December 2023 13:28
Eleven climbers found dead in Indonesia after volcano erupts
Eleven climbers were found dead in Indonesia on Monday and 12 were missing after the Marapi volcano erupted in West Sumatra, a rescue official said, as search operations – which were halted temporarily over safety concerns – resumed.
Three survivors were found on Monday along with the bodies of the 11 climbers, out of 75 who were in the area at the time of Sunday’s eruption, said Jodi Haryawan, spokesperson for the search and rescue team, adding they were all local climbers.
“We have continued to search for the 12 missing climbers until this evening. We have not decided when we are going to stop the operation,” Jodi said in a phone call, adding they would continue evacuating the three survivors and bodies of climbers.
There were 49 climbers evacuated from the area earlier on Monday and many were being treated for burns, Jodi said.
It took around four to six hours to evacuate one dead body from the volcano, Jodi said, adding: “It’s very difficult.”
Maryam Zakir-Hussain4 December 2023 12:29
Volcano expert less convinced an eruption could occur
Þorvaldur Þórðarson, professor of volcanology at the University of Iceland, said he believes it is less likely that a volcanic eruption could occur based on the seismic activity on the Reykjanes peninsula.
“I’m becoming more and more inclined to believe that this will not end in an eruption,” he told The Iceland Monitor.
“The land rise is decreasing. It was rising quite fast about a week ago, but in some places the land rise has stopped. The land rise at Svartsengi has slowed down, and so one hopes that it will stop for now.”
Maryam Zakir-Hussain4 December 2023 11:07