COPENHAGEN, Nov 13 (Portal) – Seismic activity in southwest Iceland decreased in size and intensity on Monday, but the risk of a volcanic eruption remained significant, authorities said, following earthquakes and evidence of magma spreading in recent weeks would have taken place underground.
Nearly 4,000 people were evacuated over the weekend as authorities feared molten rock would rise to the Earth’s surface, potentially hitting a coastal town and a geothermal power plant.
Iceland lies between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates and is one of the largest on the planet. It is a seismic and volcanic hotspot because the two plates move in opposite directions.
The Icelandic Meteorological Office said on Monday there was a “significant probability” of an eruption in the coming days on or just off the Reykjanes peninsula near the capital Reykjavik, although the size and intensity of the earthquakes were decreasing.
“We believe this intrusion is literally floating and is now in equilibrium just below the Earth’s surface,” said Matthew James Roberts, head of the Meteorological Office’s service and research division.
“We now have this enormous uncertainty. “Will there be an eruption and if so, what damage will be caused?” he said.
Thorvaldur Thordarson, a professor of volcanology at the University of Iceland, said the latest data suggests a lower risk of an eruption in the area around the town of Grindavik.
Residents of Grindavik reported being forced from their homes in the early hours of Saturday as the ground shook, roads cracked and buildings suffered structural damage.
[1/5]A view of cracks formed due to volcanic activity on a road near Grindavik, Iceland, November 13, 2023. Road Administration of Iceland via Facebook/Handout via Portal Purchase license rights
Hans Vera, a Belgian-born 56-year-old who has lived in Iceland since 1999, said his family’s home was constantly shaking.
“You could never stay calm, it was always shaking, so there was no way to sleep,” said Vera, who now lives at his sister-in-law’s house in a suburb of Reykjavik.
“Not only the people of Grindavik are shocked by this situation, but the whole of Iceland.”
Almost all of the city’s 3,800 residents were able to find shelter with family members or friends, and only between 50 and 70 people were staying in evacuation centers, a rescue official said.
Some evacuees were allowed to briefly return to the city on Sunday to pick up belongings such as documents, medicine or pets, but were not allowed to drive themselves.
“You have to park your car five kilometers from the city and there are 20 cars, huge rescue team cars, 20 police officers, all flashing lights, it’s just unreal, it’s like a war zone or something, it’s really strange,” said Vera.
The Reykjanes Peninsula is a volcanic and seismic hotspot southwest of the capital. In March 2021, spectacular lava fountains erupted from a fissure between 500 and 750 meters long in the region’s Fagradalsfjall volcanic system.
Volcanic activity in the area continued for six months this year, prompting thousands of Icelanders and tourists to visit the site. A three-week eruption occurred in the same area in August 2022, followed by another in July this year.
Reporting by Louise Rasmussen, Tom Little, Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen and Johannes Birkebaek in Copenhagen, Ilze Filks in Stockholm and Essi Lehto in Helsinki. Editing by Alex Richardson
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