Watch | Earthquakes in Iceland cause massive cracks on roads, smoke rises from ground

Iceland is preparing for a possible volcanic eruption after the nation was rattled by a series of earthquakes which has since prompted officials to declare a state of emergency. Huge cracks could be seen on roads in the Icelandic town of Grindavik, where most of the tremors took place.

So far, around 4,000 residents from Grindavik have been evacuated following an evacuation order in the early hours of Saturday. Residents were briefly allowed back to their homes for a limited time to collect belongings, on Monday (Nov 13).

Watch | Massive cracks on roads in Grindavik

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Images and videos from the Icelandic town show large cracks running through the town centre, leaving its main street impassable, while steam could be seen rising from the ground.

While fears around the impending eruption are high, a sinkhole was alsodiscovered on Sunday (Nov 12).

Volcanologist Thorvaldur Þórðarson told Iceland’s local Channel 2 Evening News that the metre-deep sinkhole formed in Grindavík indicated that the magma tunnel, formed under the town, was very close to the surface and that the eruption would occur within the town limits.

ALSO READ |Volcano fears: Sinkhole under Iceland town adds to panic, indicates magma tunnel very close to surface

“It indicates that it will soon erupt and that, unfortunately, indicates that the eruption will occur within the town limits of Grindavík,” Thorvaldur told Icelandic media on Sunday.

State of emergency in Iceland

Officials in Iceland declared a state of emergency on Friday (Nov 10) after a series of powerful earthquakes rocked the country’s southwestern Reykjanes Peninsula.

The probability of an eruption remained high despite a decrease in seismic activity, said the Icelandic Meteorological Institute, in a statement on Tuesday (Nov 14).

ALSO READ |Iceland on edge: Seismic activity subsides, but volcanic threat looms

The institute also said that they recorded nearly 800 earthquakes between midnight and noon on Tuesday, fewer than the two previous days.

“Less seismic activity typically precedes an eruption, because you have come so close to the surface that you cannot build up a lot of tension to trigger large earthquakes,” said Rikke Pedersen, who heads the Nordic Volcanological Centre based in Reykjavik, as quoted by Reuters.

"It should never be taken as a sign that an outbreak is not on the way," she added.

(With inputs from agencies)