As worries about a volcano erupting grow, Iceland orders people to leave town and raises the aviation alert

A state of emergency was declared in the area by civil defense authorities on Saturday, prompting residents of a fishing town in southwest Iceland to evacuate their homes due to growing concerns about a possible volcanic eruption.

Following recent seismic activity in the area that moved south toward the town and monitoring showing that a corridor of magma, or semi-molten rock, now extends beneath the community, police decided to evacuate Grindavik, according to Iceland's Meteorological Office. Situated approximately 50 kilometers (31 miles) southwest of Reykjavik, the capital, the 3,400-person town is part of the Reykjanes Peninsula.

A higher risk of a volcanic eruption was indicated by the authorities' upgrading of the aviation alert to orange. Because highly abrasive ash from volcanic eruptions can shoot high into the atmosphere, where it can harm flight control systems, cause jet engines to fail, and reduce visibility, they pose a serious risk to aviation.

2010 saw a significant eruption in Iceland that severely disrupted air travel between Europe and North America, resulting in the cancellation of over 100,000 flights at an estimated cost to airlines of $3 billion.