Grindavik evacuated as another Icelandic eruption nears

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A cross-posting from my Iceland blog which has hundreds of posts on Iceland: its landscape, people and culture.

Post updated a few times.

There has been a remarkable swarm of earthquakes.

Overnight, there has been a lot of activity, and according to the BBC:

Iceland has declared a state of emergency after a series of earthquakes raised fears of a volcanic eruption.

Authorities have ordered thousands living in the southwestern town of Grindavík to evacuate as a precaution.
The Icelandic Met Office (IMO) says it is concerned large amounts of magma - molten rock- is spreading underground and could surface there.
Thousands of tremors have been recorded around the nearby Fagradalsfjall volcano in recent weeks.
They have been concentrated in Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula, which had remained dormant to volcanic activity for 800 years before a 2021 eruption.
On Thursday, the increased seismic activity in the area prompted the closure of the nearby Blue Lagoon landmark. More than 20,000 tremors have been recorded in southwest Iceland since late October.
Iceland's Civil Protection Agency said the decision to evacuate came after the IMO could not rule out a "magma tunnel that is currently forming could reach Grindavík".

The last evacuation of a town in Iceland due to volcanic activity was in 1973, when Heimaey was evacuated.

The residents were moved to places such as Grindavik, and now it is Grindavik which is being evacuated.

The Blue Lagoon has been closed.

Claire Kyndt shared this Reykjavik Grapevine video:


Thanks to Paul Berry for this:

And Alistair Hamill is following events in a thread which is growing over time: 

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