In January, the seismologists at Iceland's weather service noted lots of small earthquakes at several kilometers depth during the Reykjanes Peninsula on Iceland's southwest tip. At the same time, they discovered that the ground was raised by 2-4 millimeters per day. The alarm bells rang.

"That's right in time"

- These are repeated occasions when lava penetrates into the earth's crust at about four kilometers depth, says seismologist Kristín Jónsdottir.

She continues:

- If it becomes unstable and the lava finds its way up through the crust and it becomes an eruption, that is the danger.

More than 8,000 earthquakes have been registered in the area and the land elevation continues.

The black-gray basalt rock that covers the landscape is solidified remnants from the recent eruption of the 13th century when red hot lava sprouted over 50 square miles. An outbreak would now be timely, according to Jónsdottir:

- If you look at the eruptions earlier and go back in time then it turns out that you have volcanically active periods every eight hundred, one thousand years.

Inferno of lava

An outbreak on Reykjanes would occur from kilometer-long cracks in the ground. Something similar happened in 1984 in Krafla in the northeastern part of the country. Stock Images show an inferno of lava cascades thrown violently by cracks in the landscape. Kristin Jónsdottir explains how the lava is built up to tens, even hundreds of meters high, of firewalls.

Krafla Happened is a sparsely populated area. In Reykjanes, among others, is the capital Reykjavik, the international airport Keflavik, important infrastructure such as roads and power plants as well as the popular Blue Lagoon tourist attraction. The landscape is flat and the damage could quickly be great. Toxic gases could be spread, perhaps as far as Reykjavik about 40 km away.

Residents directly threatened

The nightmare scenario is whether lava and gas reach the Grindavik community, closest to the volcanic area. Over 3,000 residents live here, whose lives, homes and workplaces would be directly threatened in the event of a major outbreak.

Grindavik-bon Hadda talks about the evacuation plans that are in place, and about the concerns she feels about what could happen, especially in the case of a night outbreak.

- Think about what happens when the community sleeps, in the middle of the night, she says.

She continues:

- They say an outbreak is slow, so hopefully you have some time. You are worried about family, friends and relatives.