In Iceland, a volcanic eruption could destroy a city near Reykjavik

The city is located about 40 kilometers southwest of Reykjavik, near the Svartsengi geothermal power plant.

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The Icelandic town of about 4,000 people near the capital Reykjavik could be harmed by a volcano that is expected to erupt within hours or days, The Guardian reports.

People in the southwestern coastal town of Grindavik were evacuated in the early hours of Saturday after magma shifting beneath the earth’s crust triggered hundreds of earthquakes in what is believed to be a precursor to an eruption.

“We are very concerned about the state of all the houses and infrastructure in the area,” Vidir Reynisson, head of Iceland’s Office of Civil Protection and Emergency Management, said on Saturday.

The city is located about 40 kilometers southwest of Reykjavik, near the Svartsengi geothermal power plant, the main supplier of electricity and water for the 30,000 residents of the Reykjanes Peninsula, as well as a fresh water reservoir.

Grindovik is also next to the Blue Lagoon geothermal spa resort, a popular tourist destination that was closed due to safety concerns earlier this week.

“The magma is at a very shallow depth right now, so we expect an eruption in a few hours, at least in a few days,” Reynisson said.

The most likely scenario is a crack opening in the ground near Grindavik.

“We have a fault that’s about 15 kilometers long, and at any point on that fault we can see that an eruption could happen,” Reynisson said.

However, he does not rule out the possibility of an eruption on the ocean floor, which would likely result in a large ash cloud.

“It’s not the most likely scenario, but we can’t rule it out because the end of the… crack goes to the sea,” he said.

Earthquakes and upwelling caused by inflowing magma have already caused damage to roads and buildings in Grindavik and the surrounding area.

Let’s recall that a small new island was formed off the Japanese island of Iwoto after the underwater volcanic eruption that occurred at the end of last month.

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