The Icelandic Meteorological Office has reported that a volcano in Iceland is currently erupting after weeks of earthquakes shaking the area. Grindavík, a small fishing town in the southwestern corner of Iceland with a population of about 2,800 residents, was evacuated in November following the emergence of a 1-meter deep sinkhole in the town.
Seismic activity began to increase around the Fagradalsfjall volcano on October 25, with over 1,000 earthquakes occurring north of Grindavík within just a few hours. (Photo: Getty Images).
Two significant earthquakes were recorded, measuring magnitudes of 3.9 and 4.5 at a depth of approximately 5 kilometers. In the following two weeks, seismic activity continued, with hundreds of earthquakes and uplift recorded daily, indicating that magma was accumulating beneath the surface.
Grindavík is approximately 2.8 miles away from the erupting volcano. (Photo: Getty Images).
Local residents can see smoke rising from the eruption north of Grindavík, with lava coloring the night sky orange. (Photo: Kristin Elisabet Gunnarsdottir/AFP via Getty Images).
A sinkhole appeared in Grindavík on November 18, 10 days after the town was evacuated. (Photo: Micah Garen/Getty Images).
Experts have warned that the underground magma tunnel between the two Icelandic towns could erupt at any time. (Photo: Jeremie Richard/AFP via Getty Images).
Iceland’s volcanic activity is generally quite weak compared to explosive eruptions along the Pacific Ring of Fire. (Photo: Getty Images).
Close-up of cracks and sinkholes that have formed in Grindavík, Iceland. (Photo: KJARTAN TORBJOERNSSON/AFP via Getty Images)
