Iceland volcano: Eruption ‘imminent’ as 120 earthquakes strike – live

Until now, the focus of where any eruption could take place has been the dike in the area close to the evacuated town of Grindavik.

Iceland’s Met Office has now issued a detailed update after a series of earthquakes over the weekend and the start of this week that suggests it could be elsewhere.

It states that GPS data and satellite images show the “uplift” continues in the area of Svartseng, which is next to the Blue Lagoon attraction, around three miles north of Grindavik.

“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,” a spokesperson said.

“It is assessed that the area with the highest likelihood for an eruption is in the middle part of the dike between Hagafell and Sýlingarfell.”

Both Hagafell and Sýlingarfell are north of Grindavik, and are about four miles apart from each other.

Charities have taken part in a number of rescue efforts in a bid to save animals in the town with rescuers returning to look for animals.

Cats, dogs, hamsters and even hens were at the centre of rescue efforts after many were left behind following evacuation orders which gave residents minutes to leave. Over 4,000 people were evacuated.

Charities and other organisations stepped in to save the day as many happy reunions took place amid the bittersweet circumstances.

A Grindavik restaurant has reopened for business, the first since the town was evacuated due to the looming threat of eruption.

However, for now at least, Varar’s Seaman’s Club is only open for a few hours a day initially.

Owner Vilhjálmur Jóhann Lárusson told mbl.is around 150 people came back through the door for its first lunch service back.

Mr Lárusson said people had tired of having nothing but sandwiches for three weeks.

A reminder below of the conditions in Iceland at this time of year as winter approaches.

The Icelandic Cricket Association has this afternoon posted a clip from an unspecific part of the country. showing the landscape covered in ice and snow.

Temperatures have plunged even further than the UK this week, dipping to -7C in parts of the island nation.

The police checkpoint lies 25km (15.5 miles) away from the town but only 12km (7.5 miles) from cracks starting to form across the roads and stretching far into the mountains.

But the volunteer rescue forces posted on guard duty in battering 32mph winds have to follow the strict instructions of Iceland’s tourist minister. There is a lot of high-speed arguing in Icelandic, and eventually we pass through.

The coach is carrying the world’s media for the first time since the initial 5.2-magnitude earthquake gripped the globe’s attention. But after days of stalemate, fears of Iceland’s economy tanking, and rumours spreading of the entire country disappearing beneath the Atlantic, the government has reluctantly allowed the press to visit the site.

Reporter Barney Davis visited Grindavik last week, here is what he discovered

Residents of Grindavik have now been away from their homes for more than two weeks. As uncertainty hangs over when they will be able to return, they were able to put questions to the country’s leaders at an event this week, report local outlet RUV.is.

Here’s a round-up of some of the questions they asked:

Should the town have been evacuated earlier?

Víðir Reynisson, from the Icelandic police force, said it was not necessary to evacuate the town earlier. The first data from 10 November showed that the magma corridor was so far from the town that it would take days or even weeks for lava to flow to Grindavík in the event of an eruption, he said.

When will pipelines be fixed?

Works are underway with the project expected to take place over the winter with completion in early spring.

How you get compensation for a house?

Compensation reflects the damage that has occurred to the property. People have a year to report the damage.

Where can children go to school?

Children from Grindavik will be able to use a school in Grafarvogur from 30 November.

Earthquake activity has led to the deepening of the port at Grindavik, according to local media outlet RUV.is.

The change in depth is because of the impact of the earthquakes, said the port manager Sigurður Arnar Kristmundsson – who says it’s not all bad news.

He told he news outlet: “The docks seem to have sunk by 20-30 centimeters when we measured about 10 days ago and then there is a chance that, yes, the bottom has sunk accordingly.

“It’s no big news that the piers have sunk, but it can probably be fixed. But it’s good news that the bottom has subsided to the extent that the ships can have a greater draft when they come into port.”

Reporter Barney Davis visited the evacuated town of Grindavik last night, here is what he found

From the spectacular Northern Lights to the stunning waters of Blue Lagoon, Iceland is certainly not short of tourist attractions.

As fears of an imminent volcanic eruption subside, the town is looking at how best to recover after streets were torn up and residents fled for safety.

The crater left behind in the wake of the chaos spreads from a Lutheran church and nursery all the way through a children’s playground and underneath the fabled Grindavík basketball team’s plush new stadium with the season about to start.

At different sections, you can simply skip from the Eurasian to the North American tectonic plate but at its deepest points you will struggle to see the bottom of the dark abyss.

Around 120 earthquakes have rocked the areas surrounding the southwestern town of Grindavik, report the IMO.

At 06:44am this morning a M2.8 quake struck 5 km southwest of Dalvík, they added.