According to the Icelandic Met Office (IMO), an eruption can occur in several days...
Digital Desk: A state of emergency was declared by Iceland on Friday following a slew of strong earthquakes that shook the southwest Reykjanes peninsula of the nation, perhaps signaling the start of a volcanic eruption.
The Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management announced in a statement, "The National police chief... declares a state of emergency for civil defense due to the intense earthquake (activity) at Sundhnjukagigar, north of Grindavik."
"Earthquakes can become larger than those that have occurred and this series of events could lead to an eruption," the administration stated.
According to the Icelandic Met Office (IMO), an eruption can occur "in several days".
About 4,000 people live in the village of Grindavik, which is three kilometers (1.86 miles) southwest of the location where Friday's earthquake was detected.
In the case of an eruption, evacuation plans are in place.
Two strong tremors occurred around 1730 GMT, rattling windows and household items as far away as Reykjavik, the country's capital, which is located about 40 kilometers distant.
The largest earthquake, north of Grindavik, had a magnitude of 5.2, according to preliminary IMO data.
After the tremors damaged a road leading north-south to Grindavik, police blocked it on Friday.
According to the IMO, there have been almost 24,000 recorded tremors on the peninsula since late October, with "a dense swarm" of about 800 quakes recorded on Friday between midnight and 1400 GMT.
An underneath magma accumulation was observed by the IMO at a depth of approximately five kilometers (3.1 miles). If it were to begin rising to the surface, a volcanic eruption might result.
"The most likely scenario is that it will take several days rather than hours for magma to reach the surface," claimed the report.
"If a fissure were to appear where the seismic activity is at its highest now, lava would flow to the southeast and the west, but not towards Grindavik."
New active era
However, the patrol vessel Thor was being sent to Grindavik "for security reasons," according to the Department of Civil Protection.
Along with three other locations in southern Iceland, emergency shelters and help centers were set to open later on Friday in Grindavik to provide information and aid to individuals who are displaced.
Following another earthquake swarm on Thursday, the Blue Lagoon, a well-liked tourist destination near Grindavik known for its geothermal spas and opulent hotels, shuttered as a precaution.
The Svartsengi geothermal plant, which provides the majority of the water and electricity to 30,000 people living on the Reykjanes peninsula, is also nearby.
In the case of an eruption, it has backup procedures in place to safeguard the plant and its employees.
The Reykjanes peninsula has seen three eruptions since 2021: in March 2021, August 2022, and July 2023.
All three of those places were remote from towns and other centers of population.
Iceland boasts the most number of active volcano systems in Europe with 33.
The Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a fissure in the ocean floor that divides the tectonic plates of North America and Eurasian, is crossed by the North Atlantic island.
The Reykjanes volcanic system had lain inactive for eight centuries until the eruption that occurred in March 2021 in an area surrounding Mount Fagradalsfjall that was unoccupied.
The new cycle of elevated activity, according to volcanologists, may continue for several decades or even millennia.
Over 100,000 flights were canceled in April 2010 due to a huge eruption at the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in southern Iceland, which left over 10 million travelers stranded.
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