FOX Weather, by Heather Brinkmann and Steven Yablonski: A volcano north of Grindavík erupted Monday evening after a swarm of earthquakes rattled the region.
The Icelandic Meteorologic Office (IMO) said the eruption could be seen on webcams near Hagafell.
“An eruption has begun near the evacuated town of Grindavík. Our priorities remain to protect lives and infrastructure,” the President of Iceland Gudni Th. Johannesson said. “Civil Defence has closed off the affected area. We now wait to see what the forces of nature have in store. We are prepared and remain vigilant.”
While the level of seismicity at the eruption site has decreased, the IMO says that the eruption fissure is expanding.
“The eruption is located on the dyke intrusion that formed in November. The rate of lava discharge during the first two hours of the eruption was thought to be on a scale of hundreds of cubic metres per second, with the largest lava fountains on the northern end of the fissures,” the IMO warned. “Lava is spreading laterally from either side of the newly opened fissures. From real-time GPS measurements, significant ground deformation has accompanied the opening of the eruption fissures.”
The IMO warned of the possible eruption ever since a swarm of “intense” earthquakes was detected north of Grindavík at the end of October.
In the weeks that followed, tens of thousands of earthquakes rumbled throughout the region. That then led to the declaration of a state of emergency and the evacuation of Grindavík and its nearly 3,700 residents.
The popular tourist destination Blue Lagoon also shut down amid fears that the volcano would erupt.
Grindavík’s waiting game
Grindavík was evacuated on Nov. 10, but a decision to let residents return to gather belongings left behind was made two days later. At that time, residents in an eastern district of Grindavík returned to gather what they could, including pets, and then retreat back to safety.
More residents in a different district were then allowed to return on the morning of November 13 before all residents were told they could go back later that day.
Strict rules were in place, however.
For instance, only one person per household was allowed back inside Grindavík, and only if they were accompanied by a first responder.
They were also given only about 5 minutes to gather what they could before they were told to leave.
Residents who were unable to return on those days were given another opportunity on Nov. 14, but that was short-lived as gas meters in the area began to detect an increased level of sulfur dioxide, leading officials to quickly evacuate the area.
Signs of an impending volcanic eruption
In addition to the earthquakes that were detected across the region, the IMO said a graben-like formation of about 3 feet sliced through parts of Grindavík due to magma intrusion.
The USGS defines a graben as a piece of the Earth’s crust that has shifted downward in comparison to adjacent crusts known as horsts which are shifted upward.
Large cracks then formed across the region that destroyed roads in and around Grindavík, which continued to widen as the hours and days passed.
Photos and videos showed the extent of the damage to the roads and even showed steam that was beginning to rise from beneath the surface.
Prophetic Link:
“You will see the accidents that are befalling us in our world, those that are on the cars, and the games, and that are on the water, and the flame and the fire, and the blood, and the volcanoes, and all these things. They are perishing. Why? The Spirit of God is being withdrawn from the earth.” Letters and Manuscripts, Vol. 17, Ms 229, 1902, par. 28
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