On 10th November (Friday), Iceland declared a ‘state of emergency’ after nearly 4,000 small and medium intensity earthquakes jolted the southwest Reykjanes peninsula in the country. The intensity of the biggest tremor was recorded at around 5.2 magnitude. This has increased the risk of a volcanic eruption in the nation inhabiting around 4,000 people.
According to the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO), around 24,000 tremors have been recorded on the peninsula since late October with “a dense swarm” of nearly 800 Earthquakes recorded between midnight and 2 p.m. GMT Friday.
The majority of the seismic activity has been concentrated in Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula. It had remained dormant to volcanic activity for 800 years until eruptions in March 2021, followed by another in August 2022 and the third one in July 2023. Notably, Iceland also has 33 active volcanic systems, which is the highest in Europe.
Following the series of tremors, police officials and authorities urged thousands of its residents to evacuate the coastal town of Grindavík fearing a risk of a possible volcanic eruption.
The Civil Protection Agency said, “Earthquakes may become bigger than those that have already occurred, and this sequence of events could lead to an eruption. However, there are still no signs that the magma is nearing the surface. Its progress is being closely monitored.”
However, they asked residents to remain calm as they had enough time to prepare and secure their belongings. As per the IMO, the possible volcanic eruptions in Iceland could take place “in several days”.
The Civil Protection Agency said, “We want to reiterate that residents MUST evacuate their homes and leave the town. But we also want to reiterate that this is not an emergency evacuation, there is plenty of time to prepare, secure things, and drive out of town calmly.”
It added, “It is clear that we are dealing with events that we Icelanders have not experienced before, at least not since the eruption in Vestmannaeyjar. We faced that together, we will face this together and we will not lose heart.”
But, in a statement on Friday, the IMO stressed that “significant changes have occurred in the seismic activity”, with tremors moving towards Grindavík over the course of the day. It added that magma has likely extended beneath the town and it was “not possible to determine exactly” whether or where it could emerge.
Earlier on Thursday (9th November), the Blue Lagoon geothermal spa which is one of Iceland’s biggest tourist attractions was closed temporarily due to the possibility of volcanic eruptions.
During July, Litli-Hrutur, also known as Little Ram, experienced an eruption in the Fagradalsfjall area, attracting tourists to witness the emergence of the “world’s newest baby volcano.”
Magma is a mixture of molten and semi-molten rock located beneath the Earth’s surface. It can trigger volcanic eruptions as it ascends to the surface and transforms into lava. These eruptions happen when the comparatively lighter magma rises from deep beneath the Earth to its surface through the solid rock surrounding it.
The impact of these seismic activities in Iceland could be understood from the fact that in April 2010, over ten million people found themselves stranded when almost 100,000 flights were cancelled globally after a colossal volcanic eruption took place in the southern region of Iceland.
Meanwhile, a day earlier, International media widely reported the formation of a new island off the Japanese coast. Japan has gained another island to add to its already impressive collection after an undersea volcanic eruption 1,200km (745 miles) south of Tokyo created a new landmass, The Guardian reported on 9th November.
According to experts, the tiny island emerged after a series of eruptions that began in October near Iwoto island, part of the Ogasawara island chain in the western Pacific.
