At the end of May, the Reykjanes peninsula in Iceland was hit by a fifth volcanic eruption since last December. The eruption caused lava to creep dangerously close to the small coastal town of Grindavik, in the southern part of the peninsula, forcing residents to evacuate.
In recent weeks, the seismic activity has increased, just as before previous eruptions. And the magma volume is estimated to have reached 20 million cubic meters, reports the Icelandic newspaper mbl.is.
But a sixth eruption has not yet taken place. However, it may be imminent.
– There is never a hundred percent chance of an eruption, but everything points in the direction of an eruption, says Benedikt Gunnar Ófeigsson.
– If we look at the latest incident in May, it took two weeks before it started to break out and there may be a waiting period again now.
Set up the scenario
According to Ófeigsson, Iceland’s Meteorological Institute has been on extra alert for the past two weeks as it is expected that a new eruption will occur.
– We have set up scenarios where this could move closer to Grindavík but it is most likely that this will be similar to what happened before.
– We still have to be prepared for the possibility that lava could pass through the defensive walls, which is not the most likely possibility.
In the past, experts that SVT spoke to have warned that the peninsula is in a long-term eruption period – which could last for hundreds of years.