According to the BBC, the nearby town of Grindavik has been evacuated for safety due to the gases emitted from the volcano and a potential fire risk. However, even if and when the volcano erupts, the people of Grindavik may not be able to return to their homes. As Dr. Bill McGuire, professor emeritus of Geophysical & Climate Hazards at University College London, explained, “Grindavik is very close to the position of the new fracture, and its survival is far from assured. Everything depends upon where magma eventually reaches the surface, but the situation doesn’t look good for the residents of the town.”
However, even if Mount Fagradalsfjall does erupt, the extent of the damage may not be overly drastic. In a statement reported by CNN, volcanologist Dave McGarvie stated, “not all dikes (bodies of magma that create fractures) breach the surface to form eruptions … perhaps only one in every three or four.” He went on to say that, in a positive scenario, the dikes will naturally cool down and become solid, stopping them from erupting.
