Iceland is bracing for a attainable volcanic eruption.
Since late October, tens of 1000’s of earthquakes have been reported within the Reykjanes Peninsula, within the southwestern a part of the nation. At one level there have been as many as 1,400 in a single 24-hour interval.
On Tuesday, the Icelandic Met Office, the nation’s climate service, warned that there was a “significant likelihood of a volcanic eruption in the coming days.”
The elevated seismic exercise and the formation of a nine-mile underground river of magma have led the authorities in latest days to declare a state of emergency and to evacuate the small fishing city of Grindavik, the place greater than 3,000 folks reside.
When is that this volcano going to erupt?
It’s laborious to foretell, however the authorities say it could occur within the subsequent few days.
They mentioned that the depth of the seismic exercise had decreased a bit, however they’ve continued to warn for a attainable eruption. The seismic exercise alongside the underground magma continues.
There is an extended historical past of volcanic exercise in Iceland, a rustic of fewer than 400,000 folks and about 130 volcanoes. Most of the volcanoes are lively.
The nation straddles two tectonic plates, that are themselves divided by an undersea mountain chain that oozes molten scorching rock, or magma. Earthquakes happen when the magma pushes by way of the plates.
An eruption is unlikely to disrupt air journey this time.
In 2010, when the Eyjafjallajokull volcano, one of many nation’s largest, erupted, a ensuing ash cloud grounded a lot of the air journey in Europe and disrupted aviation for days.
It’s unlikely this eruption will trigger fairly the identical stage of disruption, Iceland’s authorities has mentioned.
“While the possibility of air traffic disturbance cannot be entirely ruled out, scientists consider it an unlikely scenario,” the federal government mentioned on its web site. “Typically, the impact of volcanic eruptions is confined to specific, localized areas.” In the previous, it continued, eruptions in the identical space didn’t have an effect on flights to and from Iceland.
“Currently, there are no disruptions to flights to and from Iceland and international flight corridors remain open,” the federal government mentioned.
Where can I discover updates?
Iceland is a tourism-friendly place with a dramatic panorama and enticing airline offers to attract guests. One web site livestreams a number of areas of the nation, particularly volcanic areas. (Watch what’s happening within the Reykjanes Peninsula.)
Officials proceed to observe any exercise in actual time, in response to the Icelandic Met Office, particularly close to Grindavik for any indications of sudden adjustments.
Source: www.nytimes.com