Some 500 earthquakes hit Iceland volcano within hours

August 2014 – ICELAND – Around 500 earthquakes have rocked a rumbling volcano in Iceland since midnight, adding to fears that an eruption could be sparked at any moment. The country has issued an orange aviation alert – the second highest – warning of possible disruption to air traffic should the Bardarbunga volcano blow. The Met Office had warned that magma under Bardarbunga may be moving into another nearby volcanic system.

Seismic activity and magma movement as close as 10km beneath ground level has been reported in the region since the middle of August. However, the Met Office has downgraded its alert from red to orange, saying an eruption was no longer considered to be imminent. Roads are still closed in the region. It comes after tens of thousands of flights were grounded when Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokul volcano erupted in 2010, creating an enormous ash cloud which experts feared would damage jet engines. –ITV