March 19, 2024

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Volcano could erupt soon – A series of earthquakes shake Iceland

Last week, 18,000 earthquakes rocked the island. According to experts, a possible volcanic eruption is imminent.

“Intercontinental Bridge”: a pedestrian bridge between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates near Grindavík, Iceland. (February 28, 2021)

Photography: Jeremy Richard (AFP)

In the wake of a series of earthquakes in southwest Iceland, signs of an eruption are imminent. Last week, according to the New York Times, more than 18,000 earthquakes struck the island nation. According to experts, earthquakes are the culmination of more than a year of intense seismic activity.

Vedurstofa, the natural hazards coordinator for Icelandic Weather Agency, Kristin Gunsdottir, said on Wednesday in a joint press conference with the head of Civil Protection, Feder, that a volcanic eruption has not started, but it may happen in the next few hours or days. Rinson

“People in Reykjavik wake up to an earthquake, and others sleep because of the earthquake”

Thorvaldor Thordarsson, Professor of Volcanology at the University of Iceland

There is not much danger to the population. “People in Reykjavik wake up having an earthquake, while others sleep because of the earthquake,” said Thorvaldor Thordarsson, a professor of volcanology at the University of Iceland, in the New York Times. “There are a lot of them, but you don’t have to worry.” Therefore air traffic is unlikely to be affected.

Police cordoned off a road in the area around the Little Hartur and Keeler Mountains.  (March 3, 2021)

Police cordoned off a road in the area around the Little Hartur and Keeler Mountains. (March 3, 2021)

Photo: Haldor Kulpens (AFP)

Icelanders expect lava flows, but not with such a dramatic setting as the 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajökull volcano. It was at that time. International air traffic has been paralyzed for a longer period of time.

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Underground volcanic activity in the Reykjanes Peninsula southwest of Reykjavik currently occurs mainly between the Litli Hrútur and Keilir Mountains. Experts searched the area by helicopter, looking for clear signs of a volcanic eruption, but so far they have not found anything. Around 3,300 people live in Grindavík – the city most likely to be affected by a volcanic eruption. However, it is currently unlikely that the place will need to be evacuated.

“I’ve never seen many earthquakes in my life.”

Pal Einarson, Professor Emeritus

The current series of earthquakes began on February 24 with a magnitude 5.7 earthquake – the largest to date. Pal Einarsson, emeritus professor of geophysics at the University of Iceland, said what usually astonishes scientists is now captivating the small nation, according to the report. “I’ve never seen so many earthquakes in my life,” said Einarson. “We talk about feeling so many of them every day.”

And according to the National Bureau of Meteorology, ongoing activities could decrease in the coming days or weeks. But Iceland may also experience more earthquakes, up to magnitude 6.5. Volcanologists are already preparing for activity that could potentially last for decades.

With materials from SDA