GRINDAVIK, Iceland – Iceland’s government declared a state of emergency and began evacuations following thousands of powerful earthquakes in the southwestern peninsula, indicating an increased likelihood of a volcanic eruption.
“We are still in the middle of this, but what we are grateful for is that there have been no casualties,” Icelandic President Guðni Th. Jóhannesson told RÚV. “There has been enormous damage to houses and structures, but everything can be repaired.”
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The Icelandic Met Office has reported over 3,000 earthquakes in the past 48 hours. A volcanic eruption is now possible in the coming days. On Friday, two strong quakes were felt across much of the country’s southern coast, with the largest one measuring a magnitude of 5.2.
“We cannot control the power of nature, but we can control our own reactions,” Jóhannesson added.
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According to local media, over 22,000 earthquakes have occurred in the Reykjanes Peninsula area since Oct. 25.
Recent observations by authorities indicate significant changes in the seismic activity around Sundhnjúkagígar, located in the northern region of Grindavík, along with deformations in the Reykjanes Peninsula.
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A dike formation may have occurred beneath the town of Grindavík, which could require a mandatory evacuation of the area. However, there are no signs yet of magma reaching the surface. Authorities have cautioned residents of Grindavík that an emergency evacuation could be imminent.
Although it is currently not possible to determine the exact location where magma might reach the surface, the indications suggest that the amount of magma involved is significantly more than what was observed in the largest magma intrusions associated with the eruptions at Mt. Fagradalsfjall last year and this summer.
“I don’t think it’s long until an eruption, hours or a few days,” volcanologist Þorvaldur Þórðarson told RÚV. “The chance of an eruption has increased significantly. We can’t rule out that this will stop and I have to say right now that I hope it will stop and we won’t have an eruption.”
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The swarm of earthquakes has also forced the Blue Lagoon geothermal spa, one of Iceland’s most popular tourist attractions, to temporarily close for a week.
Iceland boasts the highest number of active volcanic systems in Europe, with more than 30 currently in operation.