The risk of a volcanic eruption in Iceland is not diminishing, and — if a fissure does open — lava could reach the Blue Lagoon resort and the Svartsengi geothermal power plant in just days, an expert says.
The magma in the 9.3-mile-long (15 kilometers) magma dike, a near-vertical underground path, that formed a week ago is currently estimated to be 2,600 to 1,640 feet (800 to 500 meters) below the surface. For an eruption to take place, there must be an increase in pressure that would allow the magma to move up to the surface and break through the crust.
