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Iceland’s Hekla volcano in ‘uncertainty phase’ after earthquake swarm nearby

A picture taken on July 1, 2006 shows the Hekla volcano. One of Iceland's most feared volcanoes looks ready to erupt, with measurements indicating magma movement, Icelandic experts said on July 6, 2011 raising fears of a new ash cloud halting flights over Europe. The Hekla volcano is close to the ash-spewing Eyjafjoell, which last year caused the world's biggest airspace shut down since World War II, affecting more than 100,000 flights and eight million passengers. The Iceland Civil Protection Authority told AFP it was closely monitoring the situation. MARCEL MOCHET/AFP/Getty Images

LONDON – Icelandic police say seismic activity near the Hekla volcano has prompted them to declare an “uncertainty phase” – the lowest level of civil warning.

Monitoring of the area in southern Iceland has been increased. Police advise people not to hike in the area, though it is not forbidden.

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Vidir Reynisson, the department manager for civil protection, said Tuesday that a swarm of earthquakes prompted the warning but are not necessarily a sign of pending eruption. Scientists worry that Hekla is overdue for an eruption; in recent decades it has erupted roughly every 10 years, most recently in 2000.

Concern about seismic activity in the north Atlantic nation has grown since April 2010, when ash from the Eyjafjallajokul volcano grounded flights across Europe for days, disrupting travel for 10 million people.

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