State of Emergency Declared, Town Evacuated Amid Earthquake Swarm – Disaster May Soon Follow

Residents of Grindavík, Iceland, have been asked to evacuate after thousands of minor earthquakes indicated the enhanced possibility of a volcanic eruption in the Reykjanes volcanic system.

The coastal town of about 3,000 people is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Iceland, according to travel website KAYAK.

While officials said there was no “immediate danger,” as it is likely that magna would not reach the surface for several days, residents of the town were nonetheless urged to evacuate, Fox Weather reported.

“In case the current intrusion will evolve further and magma will start propagating towards the surface in this area, the most likely outcome would be an effusive eruption,” the Iceland Meteorological Agency told Fox.

“However, the presence of shallow ground-water in the vicinity of the ongoing magmatic accumulation, might trigger some short-lived explosions whenever magma will encounter these reservoirs.”

The area was under an “Orange alert” because of the earthquake activity, meaning that “the volcanic system is showing heightened unrest with increased likelihood of eruption,” according to Fox, which cited the Iceland Met Office.

An Orange alert amounts to a level-3 warning on a 4-point scale.

Fox said that the area has experienced 22,000 small quakes since October 25, with the strongest hitting just after midnight Thursday and coming in at a 4.8 on the Richter scale.

The Washington Post, however, reported Friday afternoon (behind a paywall) that at least seven quakes had been measured at 4.5 or better on that scale — and that two topped 5.0.