Iceland prepares for possible volcanic eruption after around 800 earthquakes in 14 hours jolt the country

livemint.com:

Iceland declares state of emergency after 800 tremors in Grindavik Grindavik is also near the Blue Lagoon geothermal spa resort, a popular tourist destination that closed as a precaution earlier this week. The Icelandic Meteorological Office said there was a "considerable" risk of an eruption on or just off the Reykjanes peninsula due to the size of the underground magma intrusion. Watch: Volcanic eruption begins near Iceland's capital "The magma is now at a very shallow depth, so we're expecting an eruption within a couple of hours at the shortest, but at least within a couple of days," an expert told AFP news agency.

The Reykjanes region has seen several eruptions in unpopulated areas in recent years. The latest is expected to begin on the seabed just southwest of Grindavik, the meteorological office said. Scientists unearth 155 million-year-old lost continent ‘Argoland’ Reykjanes is a volcanic and seismic hot spot southwest of the capital Reykjavik.

So far three eruptions have taken place on the Reykjanes peninsula in recent years near the Fagradalsfjall volcano: in March 2021, August 2022, and July 2023 -- all far from any infrastructure or populated areas. In March 2021, lava fountains erupted spectacularly from a fissure in the ground measuring between 500 and 750 metres long in the region's Fagradalsfjall volcanic system. 5 common myths about earthquake The Fagradalsfjall system, which is around 6 km wide and 19 km long, had remained inactive for more than 6,000 years before the recent eruptions.