Due to the ongoing series of severe earthquakes in Iceland, the authorities on the North Atlantic island are warning of even stronger quakes and a possible impending volcanic eruption. The tremors near the town of Grindavík could become even more violent and ultimately lead to an eruption, the Icelandic police said on Friday evening. As a precaution, the town was ordered to be evacuated. It will continue to be checked whether the magma is approaching the earth’s surface.
Because of the earthquake swarm north of Grindavík, the police declared a danger situation (hættustig). This level of warning system means authorities are seeing increasing danger and measures are being taken to ensure the safety of people in the area.
The Icelandic meteorological agency Vedurstofa reported in the evening that the signs currently being seen were comparable to those on the eve of the first eruption at Fagradalsfjall volcano in 2021 and were very similar to the seismic activity a month before this eruption. The most likely scenario is that it will take several days rather than hours for the magma to reach the earth’s surface.
The renewed swarm of earthquakes on the Reykjanes Peninsula southwest of Reykjavik began almost two and a half weeks ago. Since then there have been thousands of quakes, but on Friday afternoon they increased again in strength and frequency. According to data from the weather agency, several of them had a magnitude of more than 4.0 – one even had a magnitude of around 5.2.
Volcanic eruptions had already occurred on the peninsula in 2021, 2022 and this summer. They were each announced by longer series of earthquakes. There was no danger to populated areas in all three eruptions.
This time, however, the Svartsengi geothermal power plant in the region and its employees were viewed with concern. The adjacent Blue Lagoon geothermal pool, one of Iceland’s biggest tourist attractions, was temporarily closed due to the series of earthquakes. An evacuation plan was drawn up for Grindavík, a few kilometers further south. However, an authorities model on Friday did not indicate that lava would flow towards Grindavík in the event of an eruption.
