New Delhi: Iceland has declared a state of emergency after multiple earthquakes in the southwestern region of the Reykjanes peninsula led to fears of an imminent volcano eruption. Since 9 November, the region has witnessed at least 2,306 earthquakes, with the strongest measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale, according to the Icelandic Met Office.
Between 5.25 PM and 5.35 PM Friday, there were fourteen earthquakes in the region, each measuring above 3.0 on the Richter scale, with the strongest quake clocking in at 5.2 in magnitude at 5.30 PM, according to the provisional information given by the Met office.
The town of Grindavík has been evacuated after the Met office informed the department of civil protection and emergency department Friday that it could not rule out the possibility that the “magma tunnel that is currently forming” could reach the town.
The department of civil protection confirmed in a statement that by 4.30 AM Saturday, all people living in Grindavík had been evacuated.
“The Suðurnes Police Commissioner has decided, in consultation with the Civil Protection Agency, to evacuate the town of Grindavík, and the Civil Protection Agency has simultaneously declared an Emergency Phase,” the statement published Friday said.
“The latest data from the Met Office show considerable displacement and a large magma tunnel that is forming and may open, which would then run from south-west to north-east. This decision is made with the safety of the residents in mind. It’s important that everyone remain calm, because we have a good amount of time to react,” it added.
Due to the multiple earthquakes, Iceland’s iconic Blue Lagoon geothermal spa, reportedly the most “relaxing” tourist attraction in the world, was closed temporarily till 16 November.
In the early hours of Thursday, guests rushed to leave hotels surrounding Blue Lagoon after they were awoken by an earthquake measuring 4.8 on the Richter scale, the strongest to hit the region since seismic activity began on 25 October, the Associated Press reported.
According to some estimates, the man-made lagoon sees about 7,00,000 tourists a year.
Iceland’s volcanoes
Before 2021, a volcano erupted in Iceland every five years on average. Iceland has around 32 active volcanoes. However, in 2021, 2022 and 2023, the Fagradalsfjall area has seen eruptions, reducing the time period between them to around 12 months.
In modern memory, one of the most famous volcanic eruptions in Iceland was a series witnessed in Eyjafjallajökull of 2010, which resulted in hundreds of thousands of travellers across Europe stranded as a result of the ash spewed by the eruption.
More than 1,00,000 flights were grounded, causing air travel delays for days.
(Edited by Smriti Sinha)
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