Thousands of tremors per day since the end of October have brought no peace to the Icelandic population on the Reykjanes peninsula in the southwest of the island. And now, the authorities warn, there is a great risk that a volcanic eruption could occur within a few days. For this reason, a state of emergency was declared: “The head of the national police declares a state of emergency to protect the civilian population due to intense underground activities in Sundhnjukagigar, north of Grindavik,” said a statement published by the ministry that deals with emergency management. According to preliminary information, the strongest quake was recorded with a magnitude of 5.2, a road was damaged and closed and more than one earthquake was also felt in the capital Reykjavik, 40 kilometers away. But there have been around 24,000 earthquakes due to the dense seismic swarm that has shaken the peninsula since late October, more than 1,400 on Friday November 10 alone. The Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) has reported the presence of a magma accumulation at a depth of 5 kilometers. “The most likely scenario is that it would take several days rather than hours for the magma to reach the surface,” the department wrote in a document cited by the Guardian, “if a fissure were to form where seismic activity is currently highest. “.At a maximum, the lava would flow to the southeast and west, but not towards Grindavik. Three outbreaks have recently been recorded on the Reykjanes Peninsula itself: in March 2021, August 2022 and July 2023.
Cover photo: EPA/ANTON BRINK | The activity of Mount Litli-Hrutur in Reykjanes, July 13, 2023
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