Icelandic authorities lowered the emergency level in one region of the country on Thursday following concerns over a potential volcanic eruption.
Residents of the town of Grindavik in southwest Iceland were evacuated from their homes earlier this month after civil protection authorities declared a state of emergency in the area due to growing concerns over a potential eruption.
The evacuation came after the region was rocked by hundreds of small earthquakes every day for more than two weeks, as scientists monitored a buildup of magma some five kilometers underground.
The region’s police chief and civil defense decided to lower the threat level on Thursday, after the latest data from the Icelandic Meteorological Office indicated that the likelihood of a sudden eruption was decreasing every day in the area urban area of Grindavík.
Despite the lowering of the threat level, access measures to the city remain unchanged.
The public is not allowed to enter, while residents of Grindavik must register the day before to gain access to the town, which has a limited stay period.
The town of 3,800, a fishing hotspot, is on the Reykjanes Peninsula, about 50 kilometers southwest of the capital, Reykjavik.
Meanwhile, Iceland’s Met Office said activity near Svartsengi, caused by the influx of magma, was continuing “at a similar rate.”
He said the likelihood of a volcanic eruption persisted and the most likely location was between Hagafell and Sýlingarfell, a few kilometers north of Grindavik.