EARTHQUAKES SPUR FEARS ICELANDIC VOLCANO MAY SOON ERUPT

Icelandic authorities declared a state of emergency and evacuated a town of about 4,000 people Saturday after hundreds of earthquakes were detected overnight, signaling an increased likelihood of a volcano erupting in the country’s southwestern Reykjanes Peninsula.

The Icelandic Meteorological Office, the country’s weather service, said it was not possible to say when and where magma would reach the surface of the town of Grindavik, but it warned that “the likelihood of a volcanic eruption occurring in the near future is deemed considerable.”

Residents of Grindavik were warned that they would probably not be able to return home for days.

Authorities also raised the aviation alert to orange with the increased chance of eruption, which could pose a risk to aviation if ash spewed into the sky, affecting aircraft.

The enhanced seismic activity measured near Sundhnjukagigar, north of Grindavik, came two days after thousands of earthquakes rattled the region, prompting officials to close the Blue Lagoon, a popular tourist destination known for its geothermal spas.

That spell of seismic activity led scientists to believe that an eruption might be imminent.

While the evacuation orders were not an “emergency evacuation,” which would require leaving the area within 30 minutes, officials at a news conference Saturday urged residents to leave within two or three hours.

The weather service said that “scientists are meeting regularly to interpret the data and update the latest models and hazard assessments.”