Icelandic authorities are keeping the possibility of an eruption in the coming days in the town of Grindavík, southwest Iceland, high despite a decrease in seismic activity.

About 900 lower-intensity earthquakes have been recorded since midnight and the activity is concentrated in the southern part of the rift between Sundhnúku and Grindavík, at a depth of 2 to 5 kilometers, the Icelandic Meteorological Office reported.

The Icelandic Meteorological Office, the University of Iceland and the Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management concluded last Saturday that the ongoing intrusion represents a serious volcanic hazard, based on the latest measurements and ground deformations in the region and the latest geophysical models.

According to geophysical models, the intrusion is estimated to spread slowly upwards and the magma is believed to be 800 meters below the surface.

Local authorities on Monday allowed limited access to an area of ​​Grindavík to a small number of residents to retrieve some belongings, as they had already done yesterday with another group.

Three eruptions occurred near Fagradalsfjall, on the Reykjanes Peninsula, in March 2021, August 2022 and July 2023. All occurred far from any infrastructure or populated areas.

The city is also close to the Svartsengi geothermal power plant, the main supplier of electricity and water for the 30,000 residents of the Reykjanes Peninsula.

Iceland has 33 active volcanic systems, the largest number in Europe. (JO)