Volcano eruption in Iceland could occur in hours, scientists say, after country reports thousands of earthquakes in past week

Some residents say they have been accustomed to a constant rumbling under the earth for a year

Devika Desai
Mar 05, 2021  •  March 5, 2021  •  3 minute read  •  Join the conversation
Aerial view taken on February 28, 2021 shows the town of Grindavik on the Reykjanes peninsula, Iceland, some 50 kilometres west of the capital Reykjavik, atop the Mid- Atlantic Ridge, one of the three most seismically active areas on the planet.
Aerial view taken on February 28, 2021 shows the town of Grindavik on the Reykjanes peninsula, Iceland, some 50 kilometres west of the capital Reykjavik, atop the Mid- Atlantic Ridge, one of the three most seismically active areas on the planet. Photo by Reuters

Around 17,000 earthquakes have hit Iceland in the past week, prompting concerns that a volcanic eruption is on its way.

Icelanders living in the southwestern region of Reykjanes peninsula reported feeling earthquakes of up to a magnitude of 5.6 on the Richter scale, CNN reported.

The largest earthquake hit on the morning of Feb. 24 rattling nearby residents in the city of Reykjavík and the municipalities around it. Two-thirds of the Iceland’s residents live in the area, according to the media outlet.

Two larger earthquakes, both over a magnitude of 5.0 also hit on Feb. 27 and March 1.

“I have experienced earthquakes before but never so many in a row,” Reykjavik resident Auður Alfa Ólafsdóttir told CNN. “It is very unusual to feel the Earth shake 24 hours a day for a whole week. It makes you feel very small and powerless against nature.”

The occasional earthquake is nothing new to the country’s residents. Iceland sits on a tectonic plate boundary between North America and Eurasia, which continuously pushes apart along the line of the mid-Atlantic ridge. The majority of the seismic activity is only felt by sensitive scientific equipment, with residents only feeling the few stronger quakes.

Story continues below
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

However, some residents in the fishing town of Grindavik say they have been encountering a constant tremor in the ground. “We are used to it, it started one year ago,” said Páll Valur Björnsson, who teaches at the local College of Fisheries and sits as a deputy member of Parliament. “But it is much more now — very unsettling. I’m not afraid but this is uncomfortable. I woke up twice last night because of (tremors). There was a very big one when I went to sleep, and I woke up with one. It is difficult but you have to learn to live with it,” he told CNN.

The quakes have not done much physical damage so far, apart from a few reported cracks in the road and some rockfalls on slopes near the epicentre.
But Elísabet Pálmadóttir, who specializes in natural hazards with the Icelandic Meteorological Office, says an earthquake of larger magnitude could be on its way and could be cause for concern.
“In this particular area, where we’ve seen activity in the past week, we could experience a magnitude 6.0 earthquake. But we could have a 6.5 to the east of the area, east of the Kleifarvatn Lake,” she told CNN.

With multiple volcanoes in the region, the constant rumbling could be a sign of an upcoming eruption, the Icelandic Meteorological Office warned in a tweet on Wednesday. “Such signs are often detected in the run-up to eruptions, it has not been confirmed that an eruption has begun. Further analysis is underway,” the office tweeted.

Officials haven’t been able to estimate when an eruption could occur — it could happen in a matter of hours, local scientists said during a briefing on Wednesday.

Story continues below
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Pálmadóttir said authorities have been placing surveillance equipment in the area. Experts flying helicopters over the area could not see if there was any activity on the surface from above. However at the beginning of the week, signs were reported of magma pushing to the surface. Scientists aren’t sure if it will break through or where.
If an eruption were to occur, however, no major town would be hit, officials have said.
“Based on the current model, no major town is in harm’s way,” volcanologist Ármann Höskuldsson told CNN,  Keflavík International Airport, which acts as one of the most direct connections between Iceland and the rest of the world — would also be safe, he added.
The main road connecting the airport to the capital may be affected, he said, as well as some power lines.

Pálmadóttir told CNN that such models do not account for possible dangerous gases that could be emitted from a volcanic eruption.

Latest National Stories

News Near Fort McMurray

This Week in Flyers