17,000 earthquakes have hit Iceland in the last week. An eruption could be imminent

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The largest earthquake, with a magnitude of 5.6 on the Richter scale, occurred on the morning of February 24. the Icelandic population lives. Two larger earthquakes – over magnitude 5.0 – also struck on February 27 and March 1.

The earthquakes have so far caused little damage, although Iceland’s road and coastal administration has reported small cracks in roads in the area and rock falls on steep slopes near the swarm’s epicenter.

“We have experienced earthquakes before, but never so many in a row,” Reykjavik resident Auður Alfa Ólafsdóttir told CNN. “It’s very unusual to feel the Earth shake 24 hours a day for a whole week. It makes you feel very small and powerless against nature.”

In the fishing town of Grindavík, the locals had a chair in front of the tremors. “I’ve never experienced anything like this before,” says Páll Valur Björnsson, who teaches at the local fisheries college and is a deputy in parliament.

“We’re used to it; it started a year ago. But it’s a lot more now – very unsettling. I’m not afraid, but this is uncomfortable. I woke up twice last night because of [tremors]. It was a big one when I went to sleep and woke up with one. It’s difficult, but you have to learn to live with it, “he said.

Iceland sits on a boundary of the continuously separating tectonic plate, pushing North America and Eurasia away from each other along the Mid-Atlantic ridge line. The greatest seismic activity here is taken over only by sensitive scientific equipment. Occasional strong tremors are an inevitable part of life in an active seismic region.

Only this time, there does not seem to be an end to the noise under the ground.

Þorvaldur Þórðarson, a professor of volcanology at the University of Iceland, said concerns about recent activity were understandable. “Of course it worries people. For this region, this is actually quite unusual, not because of the type of earthquakes or their intensity, but because of their duration. It’s been happening for more than a week now.”

“We are struggling with ‘why’ right now. Why is this happening? It is very likely that we have an intrusion of magma into [Earth’s] crust there. It has certainly approached the surface, but we are trying to figure out if it is even closer to it, “he said. With several volcanoes in the area, local officials have warned that an eruption could be imminent.

Aerial view made on February 28, 2021 shows the lighthouse and geothermal power plant near the town of Grindavik on the Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland.

Elísabet Pálmadóttir, a natural hazards specialist at the Icelandic Meteorological Bureau, told CNN that authorities are deploying surveillance equipment in the area, from GPS and earthquake monitors to webcams and gas detectors.

Nor does she remember ever experiencing so many earthquakes in such a long time. She warns that a stronger event could be a cause for concern and estimates that the area could suffer an earthquake of magnitude 6 or larger.

“In this special area, where we saw activity in the last week, we could experience a magnitude 6.0 earthquake. But we could have a 6.5 east of the area, east of Lake Kleifarvatn,” she says.

No city appears to be at risk of lava flow in the event of a volcanic eruption, according to the latest model from the University of Iceland’s volcanology and natural hazards group, which released potential flow maps on Wednesday.

Lava flow modeling in the Reykjanes peninsula by researchers from the University of Iceland at the Northern Volcanological Center.

“Based on the current model, no major city is in danger,” volcanologist Ármann Höskuldsson told CNN, adding that Keflavík International Airport – one of the most direct connections between Iceland and the rest of the world – will also be exempt.

However, the main road linking the airport to the capital, Reykjavík, could be affected, as could some power lines, he added.

Pálmadóttir notes that such models do not take into account possible hazardous gases that could be emitted by a volcanic eruption.

The specter of a major eruption is reminiscent of the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption, which caused one of the largest air traffic stops in the world during World War II. But Pálmadóttir says a similar ash feather would be unlikely in the current situation.

Þórðarson adds that “the magmatic composition here is very different, the intensity of the explosive activity would be significantly lower”.

On Wednesday afternoon, a quake near Keilir volcano, just 20 miles south of the capital, prompted authorities to ban traffic in the area. On its website, the Icelandic MET office states that similar activities previously preceded the eruptions.

The image taken on February 27, 2021 shows a specialist in natural hazards at the Icelandic Meteorological Office in Reykjavik, which analyzes the situation in the Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland.

Víðir Reynisson, chief superintendent of Iceland’s Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management, told a news conference on Wednesday that an eruption was “more likely than not” in the next few hours. It would be the first in the area in the 12th century.

For now, residents are waiting for signs of eruption, some with emotion, others with anxiety. Víkurfréttir, a local news service, has installed a video camera aimed at Keilir, which will start live broadcasting in the event of an eruption.

In the last 24 hours, major earthquakes have felt that the previous days have greatly diminished – but that break may not last long. “It’s definitely not over,” says Pálmadóttir.

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