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The flat coat beneath Grindavík , a pocket-sized fishing townsfolk on Iceland ’s Reykjanes Peninsula , is so fissure adopt a volcanic eruption on Jan. 14 that it could collapse , the Icelandic Met Office ( IMO ) has warned .

This " cracking collapse " may happen in place where the ground is already unstable , grant to atranslated IMO statementupdated on Thursday ( Jan. 25 ) .

The evacuated Icelandic town of Grindavik (R) is seen as smoke billow and lava is thrown into the air from a fissure during a volcanic eruption on the Reykjanes peninsula 3 km north of Grindavik, western Iceland on December 19, 2023.

A view of the evacuated town of Grindavik, as smoke rises and lava is flung into the air from a nearby volcano.

Fissures that open to the Frederick North of Grindavíksent lava flows coursing through the townduring the eruption , which has since terminate . The overall risk assessment for Grindavík was subsequently lowered from great ( cherry-red ) to considerable ( orange ) on ahazard function , but new dangers now loom over — or in this case under — the town .

" It should be noted that although the overall risk assessment for Grindavík has been lowered by one point , the risk of exposure associated with scissure is still assessed as very high , " IMO representatives drop a line in the financial statement .

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Fissure opens up in Iceland near the town of Grindavik.

" Fissure movements " are less likely now that the bang has lessen , they added , and expert are assess the risk of new cracks opening , or of already - formed cracks   growing larger .

" GPS information shows that very little movement has been detected within Grindavík in the last few day , and therefore the risk is estimated to be lower than before , " representatives compose in the statement .

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" The arena has been reactivated,“Carmen Solana , an associate prof in volcanology and risk communicating at the University of Portsmouth in the U.K.,previously severalise Live Science . While experts ca n’t be sure whether another eruption will take stead , Solana said the current planetary house suggest it is potential .

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" The fact that it [ the dry land ] has n’t puncture as it should given the intensity [ of magma ] that has come to the open , it ’s more likely than not that more magma will come to the surface , " she said .

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