Grindavik is now a ghost city.
It has all of the acquainted locations – retailers, cafes, colleges and condominium blocks.
However they’re all empty, deserted within the rush to flee an earthquake swarm over the weekend.
We had been taken into the city beneath police escort, passing by means of a number of checkpoints.
Observe stay: 800 new earthquakes raise volcanic eruption fears
Residents have been evacuated from Grindavik as earthquakes trigger harm to roads
The authorities are jumpy.
The magma is now considered simply 500m beneath the floor proper on the sting of city and so they concern there may very well be an eruption at any time.
Within the city centre the bottom seems to be like it’s being unzipped, with a gash stretching 150m or so.
Greater than 800 earthquakes have taken place on Wednesday alone
The place it crosses a predominant highway the rip is a few metres large, with one facet a metre decrease than the opposite. There are huge forces at work, splitting megatonnes of rock.
And the earth remains to be transferring, stones shifting and tumbling down into the crack. In locations it was too deep to see the underside.
Clouds of steam rise from the gash. Scorching water pipes that after heated houses and companies at the moment are pulled aside with the shifting floor.
The bottom beneath our toes is meant to be rock strong. We even name it ‘terra firma’. But it surely’s not in Grindavik, not now. You’re feeling it may swallow you up at any second.
Learn extra:
Do we know when the volcano will erupt?
How big could the eruption be?
A line of vehicles queued on a highway heading to the city of Grindavik. Pic: AP
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Roads broken by rising magma beneath
That appears like a catastrophe film, and the city seems to be like a Hollywood set.
However just a few days in the past this was a thriving group of just about 4,000 folks.
They’ve been allowed to sprint again to their houses in latest days to gather important belongings.
Now, that appears to have now stopped, and it is largely emergency employees left within the city.
There is not rather more they will do.
Grindavik is on the mercy of the molten rock rising from beneath. And sooner or later it is going to be left to its destiny.