Eruption fears after earthquakes rock Iceland volcano

Two magnitude five tremors shake volcano under vast Vatnajokull glacier

A road closure to the Vattnajokull glacier the site of the Bardarbunga volcano under the Dyngjujokull ice cap in Iceland,. Photograph: Vilhelm Gunnarsson/EPA
A road closure to the Vattnajokull glacier the site of the Bardarbunga volcano under the Dyngjujokull ice cap in Iceland,. Photograph: Vilhelm Gunnarsson/EPA

Earthquakes are rocking Iceland's Bardarbunga volcano, adding to concerns that magma movements may trigger an eruption that could hinder air traffic.

Iceland’s Met Office said two earthquakes measuring over magnitude five shook the volcano under the vast Vatnajokull glacier. Some 500 quakes have hit the area since midnight.

Iceland’s aviation alert level remains at orange, the second highest.

On Sunday, the Met Office lowered the alert level, saying there was no sign of an imminent eruption at Bardarbunga.

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In 2010, Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokul volcano erupted and sparked off a week of international aviation chaos.

Some 100,000 flights were cancelled after aviation officials closed Europe’s air space for five days out of fear that volcanic ash could harm jet engines.