Icelandic town could be evacuated for months as volcanic rumble continues

Authorities are warning residents of the Icelandic town of Grindavik that it may be months before they can return to their homes as concerns about a volcanic eruption persist.

Grindavik, which was evacuated by the Icelandic government this week after seismic activity and air content analysis indicated possible eruptions, has been closed to traffic for the foreseeable future.

Residents had little time to gather their belongings and flee the city, which was now believed to be located on a corridor of magma flowing beneath the area.

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According to the Icelandic Meteorological Office, since midnight yesterday, around “800 earthquakes have been measured, most of them in the middle of the Sundhnúk magma dike, at a depth of around 3 to 5 km (1.8 to 3.1 miles). ).”

“Seismic activity has remained constant since November 11. The main focus for monitoring seismic activity remains in the area of ​​the sea wall and Grindavík,” the Icelandic Meteorological Office said.

Sundhnúk lies just over 3 km north-northeast of Grindavík.

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This photo shows residents carrying their belongings from their homes to a vehicle in Grindavik, southwest Iceland, following earthquakes. The southwestern town of Grindavik, home to around 4,000 residents, was evacuated in the early hours of November 11 after shifting magma beneath the Earth’s crust caused hundreds of earthquakes, which , according to experts, could be the harbinger of a volcanic eruption. (KJARTAN TORBJOERNSSON/AFP via Getty Images)

FOX Weather reported that sulfur dioxide was detected in the air in Grindavík yesterday, a sign of possible imminent volcanic activity.

Videos and images have also been released showing smoke rising from cracked roads in Grindavík in recent days.

Iceland sits in the middle of the Mid-Atlantic Rift, making it a hotbed of geothermal activity. There are over 130 volcanoes here, as well as a variety of geysers and volcanic fissures.

Emergency services and police are checking Grindavik residents to see if they are allowed to collect items from their homes. The magma continues to move closer to the surface and an eruption is expected in the coming days. Icelandic police and emergency services organized a day to allow some residents of Grindavik to return home to collect some belongings. (Raúl Moreno/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

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Iceland is a Nordic nation. The first to explore the island were the Vikings from Norway, who settled there in the 9th century.

Norwegian companies created an Icelandic Commonwealth, which eventually fell under Danish rule.

Iceland became an independent republic in 1944.

Danuta Hamlin and Greg Norman of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.