Iceland Volcanic Actvity Warnings Downgraded by Officials

Image: An aerial view of the erupting volcano in Grindavik, Iceland. (photo via Blue Lagoon Iceland) (Photo Credit: (photo via Blue Lagoon Iceland))

by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 5:20 PM ET, Mon November 27, 2023

Emergency warnings about seismic activity on the Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland have been downgraded by the country’s Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management.

The region is now in an “Alert Phase.”

That level of warning means that seismic activity in the region continues to be recorded but at a slower rate. The activity is also at a smaller scale than had been previously recorded. Activity was first noted on October 24, 2023. By November 10, the volcanic activity had reached its highest level and the nearby town of Grindavik was evacuated as part of a declared emergency.

At that point, officials were advising of a “high likelihood” of eruption and observations included volcanic magma moving closer to surface level.

Travel to Iceland continues and has remained open throughout the seismic warnings—with the exception of the evacuated region of Grindavik, which is about 43 miles from Reykjavík. The popular Blue Lagoon tourist stop (which includes several faculties such as Silica Hotel, Retreat Spa, Retreat Hotel and the Lava and Moss restaurant), has also been closed to visitors amid the seismic activity.

An updated November 27 post on the Icelandic Meteorological Office website says: "Seismic activity has been relatively stable for the past few days.”

However, the site goes on to note that there has been a daily rate of about 500 earthquakes in the area of the magmatic dike. Most of the seismicity continues to be nearby Sýlingarfell and Hagafell.

“Around midnight a short-lived seismic swarm commenced in the vicinity of Sýlingarfell and lasted for roughly one hour,” says the website.

The website also says that both seismic and deformation data suggest that magma continues to accumulate beneath Svartsengi and to flow to the dike which formed on November 10.

Officials in Iceland also added that “in light of the available data and the newest analysis, an eruption along the dike is still considered likely as long as the magma inflow continues."