Fears of an eruption from Iceland's volcano, Fagradalsfjall, prompted the declaration of an emergency

 Fears of an eruption from Iceland's volcano, Fagradalsfjall, prompted the declaration of an emergency

Fears of a volcanic eruption sparked by a string of earthquakes led Iceland to declare a state of emergency.

As a precaution, thousands of residents in the southwest town of Grindavík have been told to leave by the authorities.

A significant quantity of lava, or molten rock, is reportedly moving underneath and may eventually emerge there, according to the Icelandic Met Office (IMO).

In recent weeks, thousands of earthquakes have been detected near the adjacent Fagradalsfjall volcano.

They are mostly located in the Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland, which was spared from volcanic activity for 800 years prior to an eruption in 2021.

Due to elevated seismic activity in the region, the renowned Blue Lagoon was closed on Thursday. Since late October, there have been over 20,000 reported earthquakes in southwest Iceland.

The decision to evacuate was made, according to Iceland's Civil Protection Agency, since the IMO was unable to rule out the possibility that a "magma tunnel that is currently expanding could reach Grindavík."

The organization called on residents to "remain calm, because we have a good amount of time to react" in a statement released on Friday, even while it stressed that the town needed to be evacuated and that it was not a "emergency evacuation".

"There is no immediate danger soon to come, the evacuation is primarily preemptive with the safety of all Grindavík households as the principal aim," it said.

To guarantee that vehicles can enter and exit the town, which has around 4,000 residents, all routes leading there are blocked unless in cases of emergency.

Over the course of the day, earthquakes have been heading towards Grindavík, according to a statement released by the IMO on Friday, indicating "significant changes have occurred in the seismic activity".

It also said that it was "not possible to determine exactly" whether or not magma may rise from underneath the town, where it has most certainly expanded.

"The amount of magma included is significantly more than what has been detected in the largest magma intrusions associated with previous eruptions at Fagradalsfjall," according to the IMO.

With almost thirty active volcanic sites, Iceland is among the most geographically active places in the globe.

Volcanic eruptions happen when magma rises to the surface of the earth from deep below. Magma is lighter than the surrounding solid rock.

Tourists flocked to the location of the "world's newest baby volcano" in July when Litli-Hrutur, also known as Little Ram, erupted in the Fagradalsfjall region.

After eight centuries of dormancy, the site had eruptions in 2021, 2022, and 2023.