Iceland tremors raise fears of new volcanic ash cloud

Thousands of small intense earthquakes are rocking Iceland amid concerns
that one of the country's volcanoes may be close to erupting

Iceland's
Met Office raised its risk level to the aviation industry for an
eruption at its Bardarbunga volcano to orange yesterday, which is the
fourth level on a five-grade scale.

Some 3,000 earthquakes have
taken place since Saturday in Bardarbunga, a subglacial stratovolcano
located under Iceland's largest glacier.

Iceland's Meteorological Office said that no earthquakes above magnitude 3 have been recorded in the last 24 hours.

Seismologists said on Tuesday that magma is moving, but it is travelling horizontally.

Bardarbunga
is located under the ice cap of the Vatnajokull glacier in the
southwest of Iceland. It is in a different range to Eyjafjallajokull.

The
Met Office said in a statement it measured the strongest earthquake in
the region since 1996 early on Monday and it had now strong indications
of ongoing magma movement.

"As evidence of magma movement
shallower than 10km (6.2 miles) implies increased potential of a
volcanic eruption, the Bardarbunga aviation colour code has been changed
to orange," it said.

"Presently there are no signs of
eruption, but it cannot be excluded that the current activity will
result in an explosive subglacial eruption, leading to an outburst flood
and ash emission."

The colour codes, which are in accordance
with recommended International Civil Aviation Organisation procedures,
are intended to inform the aviation sector about a volcano's status.