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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. 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. - CTV News

Peruvian volcano on verge of eruption

Peruvian scientists have warned that Arequipa's Sabancaya Volcano is currently in a pre-eruptive stage. According to Domingo Ramos, head of volcano monitoring at Peru's Geological, Mining and Metallurgical Institute (Ingemmet), Sabancaya's activity has led the agency to issue a yellow alert. "We have already talked with local authorities so that they can warn the nearby population, about the volcano's status, and how to prepare before an eventual eruption," Ramos said according to the daily. Sabancaya, he said, is currently emitting large plumes of smoke, and is seeing between 300 and 500 seismic movements, Peruthisweek.com reported quoting Peru21. Fredy Apaza, a chemist at Ingemmet, said the signs of continuous gas release indicates that magma is rising to the surface, but said the agency was not yet able to estimate how much magma could be on the way. "That's why Ingemmet has installed volcanological equipment and telemetry in strategic points at Sabancaya, we expect results within 15 days," he said. -Andina