Home
Weather Dublin
WeatherRadar
RainfallRadar
TemperatureRadar
WindRadar
LightningRadar
Weather News
Editor's Pick
Discover the app
Weather widget
Contact us
Apps
    Home / Editor's Pick /

    Reporter on the scene: Imminent eruption threatens Iceland

10:38
15 November 2023

Reporter on the scene
Imminent eruption threatens Iceland

With fears of an imminent eruption, our weather reporter Marco Kaschuba is on the ground in Iceland.

On Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula, southwest of the capital Reykjavik, a volcanic eruption is highly likely in the near future.

According to volcanologists, it is only a matter of hours or days before the eruption begins. Because the danger zone is also in populated areas, a state of emergency has been declared.

The 3700 residents of Grindavík who were fully evacuated, were allowed to return to the evacuated town for a short time on Tuesday November 14th to collect personal belongings.

Residents of the evacuated town were allowed to return home briefly to collect personal belongings.
Residents of the evacuated town were allowed to return home briefly to collect personal belongings. - © Weather & Radar

Every car was checked, but not every resident was allowed into the town because the crowd was so large. There was a long traffic jam with a wait of several hours. In Grindavík itself, each household was only given five minutes to complete tasks.

However, on Tuesday afternoon when they arrived, there was another new alarm and the area had to be completely evacuated once again. The reason for this was a high level of sulphur dioxide in the air, caused by volcanic gases.

Earthquakes caused by the rupture of rock layers

In recent weeks there have been thousands of earthquakes in the area. The tremors are caused by the movement of magma, which has been collecting in a kind of storage chamber at a depth of four to five kilometres for about two and a half weeks.

To make more room, magma pushes itself through cracks and crevices in the rock, which repeatedly breaks open. This breaking up of the rock layers can be felt as an earthquake.

If the magma reaches the earth's surface somewhere during these processes, the volcanic eruption begins. However, it is difficult to specify the exact time period that this may happen.

The exact location can also only be roughly estimated. The magma on Iceland is currently around 500 metres below the earth's surface.

Magma channel directly beneath Grindavík

The magma channel currently runs directly beneath the town of Grindavík and is around 15 km long. It is also possible that the magma will initially move sideways towards the coast and that the eruption could even take place under the sea.

Over 24,000 earthquakes in one monthread more
Weather & Radar editorial team

More on the topic

Severe weather risk in the Mediterranean. Turkey and Greece. . . Tuesday 27 October 2026
Weather map showing low pressure over the Aegean Sea, blue rain bands across Greece and Turkey, and heavy rain and thunderstorm warning symbols.
Tuesday 27 October 2026

Turkey and Greece

Severe weather risk in the Mediterranean
Widespread fog grips Thursday morning. Take care on the roads. . . Wednesday 28 October 2026
Split image showing a fog forecast across southern England with temperatures of 8–9°C, alongside cars driving through dense mist on a sunlit road.
Wednesday 28 October 2026

Take care on the roads

Widespread fog grips Thursday morning
Stormy winds finally easing. By the end of the week. . . Tuesday 27 October 2026
Split wind maps showing winds of 25–40 mph across the UK and Ireland easing to 7–15 mph, with a white arrow indicating the change.
Tuesday 27 October 2026

By the end of the week

Stormy winds finally easing
All weather news

This might also interest you

Flooding, gales, and heavy snow. Storm Chandra. . . Tuesday 27 January 2026
Split image showing aerial flooding in a town with muddy water covering roads on the left, and a rural road on the right blocked by heavy snowfall with vans stopped and a person walking in snow.
Tuesday 27 January 2026

Storm Chandra

Flooding, gales, and heavy snow
Bright and warm conditions take hold. Spring-like outlook. . . Thursday 23 April 2026
Split UK map showing warm temperatures up to 21 degrees in orange on the left and clear sunny conditions with temperatures from 12 to 18 degrees on the right, with sun icons across the country.
Thursday 23 April 2026

Spring-like outlook

Bright and warm conditions take hold
Seasonal warmth between spring thunder. Your weather - Your shots. . . Sunday 19 April 2026
Split image showing coastal sunset with layered lenticular clouds over rooftops and palm trees on the left, and a green valley with river and hills under soft daylight on the right.
Sunday 19 April 2026

Your weather - Your shots

Seasonal warmth between spring thunder
All articles
Weather & Radar

Weather & Radar is also available on

Google Play StoreApp Store

Company

Contact us Privacy Policy Legal info Accessibility statement

Services

Uploader

Socials

facebooktwitteryouTubelinkList