The volcanic threat in Iceland

Expert: 80 percent risk of an eruption in the near future  

 

There is around a 75 to 80 percent risk of a volcanic eruption in Iceland in the next few days. That's what Valentin Troll, professor of petrology at Uppsala University, tells Ekot.  

 

In recent days, the underground activity on the Reykjanes peninsula has decreased somewhat - but it could be the calm before the storm, as powerful energies build up before an eruption, according to Troll.  

There is a pattern you learn to recognize, he says. 

 

- Earthquake activity, soil deformation, increased heat emissions from the earth [...] if many of these phenomena point in the same direction, the probability of an eruption is high. 

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Swedish-Icelander: What is happening is in a class of its own  

 

Icelanders are used to volcanic eruptions, but what is happening right now is in a class of its own. That is what the Swedish-Icelander Jakob Vegerfors, who lives in Iceland and has studied the island's volcanic eruptions, told TT. 

 

- This is the first time in 50 years that an eruption has really threatened infrastructure and above all people's homes to such a large extent. 

 

It has the potential to have disastrous consequences. In previous outbreaks, there has been a "festival atmosphere" - now the atmosphere is depressed because life and home are at stake, he adds. 

 

On Sunday, residents of the threatened community of Grindavik were allowed to return and in a few minutes collect the most important things from their homes. An eruption is expected to hit the city within just a few hours or days.  

 

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Travelers are advised to contact their airlines  

 

Swedavia urges travelers who have a trip booked to or from Iceland to contact their airlines, reports Ekot. This is due to the risk of a volcanic eruption. 

 

- The recommendation to passengers who have a trip booked to or from Iceland is of course to keep an eye on the news feed and to check with their tour operator or airline what applies right now, says press officer Peter Wärring.  

 

A volcanic eruption with subsequent ash clouds would be a nightmare for the aviation industry, writes TT. After the eruption of the volcano Eyjafjallajökull in 2010, the entire northern European air traffic was paralyzed. 

 

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Residents are given five minutes to save the most important thing  

 

Pictures from the road outside the evacuated community of Grindavik in Iceland show long queues of cars.  

 

The people who are now returning to their homes to save possessions or pets before the volcanic eruption that could erupt "at any moment" have only between five and seven minutes. This is what rescue leader Gudbrandur Örn Arnarson, who leads the work, told Morgonbladet. 

 

- The situation is such that we try to move very quickly, quickly in and quickly out. We have planned escape routes in advance and it is about not exposing people to unnecessary risks, he says.

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