Iceland's biggest volcano set to erupt

Iceland's scientists say activity at Katla volcano increasing, next eruption could be huge

Awakening the Giant! Fear grows that Iceland's largest volcano may erupt following earthquakes

The Icelandic Meteorological Office is on alert for a possible eruption from the country's largest volcano, Katla, after two earthquakes rattled the region.

The volcano, which stands at 1,500 meters (nearly 5,000 feet) tall, hasn't had a major eruption since 1918. Scientists say Katla usually erupts once every 50 years.
Two magnitude 4.5 earthquakes shook the area early Monday morning.

The meteorological office confirmed an increase in seismic activity in recent weeks and said it was monitoring the situation. An eruption is not imminent, scientists said, but they can't rule it out.

"Such summertime increases in seismicity are common at Katla and the ongoing activity within the caldera is similar to summertime unrest observed in 2012 and 2014," the office said.

"Measurements around Katla are not detecting signs of increased ground deformation or seismic tremor, both of which could be indicators of magma movement."

Ash billows from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano on May 8, 2010 in Hvolsvoellur, Iceland.

In 2010, Katla's neighboring volcano, Eyjafjallajokull, caused chaos across Europe and shut down most of the continent's airspace. Thousands of flights were grounded because of the volcanic ash following its eruption.