Home
Weather London
WeatherRadar
RainfallRadar
TemperatureRadar
WindRadar
LightningRadar
Weather News
Editor's Pick
Discover the app
Weather widget
Contact us
Apps
Career
    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
Frost instead of a heatwave. Winter in South America. . . Friday, 26 June 2026
Temperature map of South America showing a widespread cold air outbreak across Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and southern Brazil, with a large blue thermometer icon highlighting below-average temperatures and near-freezing conditions in parts of Argentina.
Friday, 26 June 2026

Winter in South America

Frost instead of a heatwave
Yet another typhoon in the Pacific. Gusts of over 185 mph. . . Friday, 3 July 2026
Wind forecast map of the western Pacific showing a powerful typhoon east of Guam with a well-defined eye, strong wind circulation, and a windsock warning icon.
Friday, 3 July 2026

Gusts of over 185 mph

Yet another typhoon in the Pacific
Noctilucent clouds spotted over the UK. Shimmering summer view. . . Monday, 29 June 2026
Wispy electric-blue noctilucent clouds glowing above a dark twilight horizon, with rooftops, utility poles, streetlights, and overhead wires silhouetted beneath the night sky.
Monday, 29 June 2026

Shimmering summer view

Noctilucent clouds spotted over the UK
All weather news
This might also interest you
A frozen start to the weekend. Icy conditions. . . Friday, 13 February 2026
UK temperature map dated 14.02 showing widespread subzero values in blue shading, with readings such as −4 in Glasgow, −3 in Dublin, and −2 in London, alongside a blue thermometer icon.
Friday, 13 February 2026

Icy conditions

A frozen start to the weekend
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
New records for England and Wales. Broken again tomorrow?. . . Thursday, 25 June 2026
Temperature map of southwest Britain on 25.06 showing extreme heat across southern Wales and southwest England, with Bute Park in Cardiff highlighted at 34.2°C and Yeovilton at 36.4°C amid widespread deep red heat zones.
Thursday, 25 June 2026

Broken again tomorrow?

New records for England and Wales
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

facebooktwittertikToklinkList