A 30-minute warning might be all Iceland residents get when the volcano erupts: Met Office

Officials in Iceland fear that a potential Fagradalsfjall volcanic eruption may occur in the southwest part of the country with only 30 minutes prior notice, even as adverse weather conditions are hampering earthquake monitoring efforts.

The meteorological office on Monday (Nov 21) said it is still getting reports of hundreds of minor earthquakes surrounding the southwest Grindavik town—a fishing town located just 16 miles (25.7 kilometres) from Keflavík airport, Iceland's largest airport and the main hub for international flights.

Over 1,000 tremors reported

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Thousands have already been moved out of Grindavik, with officials warning that they could remain evacuated for months.

More than 1,000 tremors have been reported in the last 24 hours from Monday in Iceland, heightening fears of imminent volcanic eruption.

Director of the country’s civil defence police unit Vídir Reynisson told reporters that the volcano could blow ‘within days, not months’.

The Met Office said they have detected magmatic gas at a borehole in Svartsengi, suggesting an imminent eruption of the Fagradalsfjallvolcano in the next few days, with Grindavik town most at risk.

Suspense over volcano eruption in Iceland continues

Head of the department at the Icelandic Meteorological Office, Kristín Jónsdóttir said that they don’t have any other option except “to wait in suspense for the next few days” to see how the situation pans out, the Independent news outlet reported.

“All the big signs are already there, so we are looking for the small signs, the signs that say that even though we are monitoring very closely,” Vídir Reynisson, chief of civil protection told the Independent on Monday (Nov 21).

Meanwhile, the country’s tourism authority has appealed for calm.

“It is impossible to predict whether a volcanic eruption will break out, or exactly when or where in the vicinity of Grindavík a potential eruption might break out,” according to the Visit Iceland website.

“It is important to note that there are currently 46 volcanoes actively erupting around the world, without any major disruption to international air traffic.”

The nation’s flagship airline, Iceland Air, also said that the ongoing seismic activity “has not affected” flights to or from Iceland.

“We are in close contact with Icelandic authorities and are monitoring the situation closely,” per the carrier’s travel alert.