Iceland on high alert as thousands of earthquakes signal possible volcanic eruption

Iceland is facing a potential volcanic eruption after thousands of earthquakes shook the Reykjanes peninsula in the past few weeks. Authorities have evacuated nearly 4,000 people from the town of Grindavik, which lies close to the Fagradalsfjall volcano system, as they fear that magma could break through the surface and cause damage to buildings, roads and a geothermal power station.

The Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) said that some 900 earthquakes hit the region on Monday, adding to the tens of thousands of tremors that have been recorded since late October. The IMO has declared a state of emergency and raised the aviation code to orange, indicating that the volcano is exhibiting signs of unrest.

“We have this tremendous uncertainty now; will there be an eruption and if so, what sort of damage will occur,” said Matthew James Roberts, director of the service and research division at the IMO.

The residents of Grindavik described the situation as surreal and frightening, as they felt constant shaking and saw cracks appearing on the roads and buildings. Some of them were allowed to return briefly to their homes on Sunday to collect essential items, but they had to park their cars five kilometres away and take a bus escorted by rescue teams and police.

“You have to park your car five kilometres from town and there’s 20 cars, huge cars from the rescue team, 20 policemen, all blinking lights, it’s just unreal, it’s like a war zone or something, it’s really strange,” said Hans Vera, a Belgian-born 56-year-old who has lived in Iceland since 1999.

The Reykjanes peninsula is a volcanic and seismic hot spot that had remained dormant for 800 years before a spectacular eruption in March 2021. Lava fountains erupted from a fissure in the ground measuring between 500 and 750 metres long, attracting thousands of visitors who witnessed the rare natural phenomenon. The volcanic activity in the area continued for six months in 2021, followed by another eruption in August 2022 and July 2023

Scientists are monitoring the situation closely and trying to predict the possible scenarios of an eruption. They said that the magma could either stay underground and cause more earthquakes, or it could break through the surface and create a lava flow or an explosive eruption. The latter could pose a threat to the nearby town of Thorlakshofn and the Svartsengi power station, which provides electricity and hot water to the capital Reykjavik.

Iceland is located on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates are moving apart, creating a zone of high volcanic and seismic activity. The country has more than 30 active volcanoes, some of which have caused major disruptions in the past. In 2010, the eruption of Eyjafjallajokull sent a huge ash cloud into the air, grounding flights across Europe and affecting millions of travellers.