Iceland declares state of emergency after 800 earthquakes in 14 hours hit nation

Iceland on Friday declared a ‘state of emergency’ after a series of small and medium intensity earthquakes jolted the southwest Reykjanes peninsula in the country.In an official statement, the authorities of Iceland warned that the seismic activity may also result in volcanic eruptions in the country.The Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management of Iceland said, “The National police chief … declares a state of emergency for civil defence 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 added in the statement. The Icelandic Met Office (IMO) said that the possible volcanic eruptions in Iceland could take place “in several days”.On Friday, southwest Reykjanes peninsula was hit by around 4,000 small to medium intensity earthquakes. According to preliminary IMO figures, the biggest tremor had a magnitude of 5.2, north of Grindavik, a village on the Reykjanes peninsula.Some 24,000 tremors have been recorded on the peninsula since late October, according to the IMO, with “a dense swarm” of nearly 800 quakes registered between midnight and 2 pm GMT Friday.The Blue Lagoon geothermal spa, one of Iceland’s biggest tourist attractions, has been closed temporarily due to the possibility of the eruptions.

New active area

The Department of Civil Protection of Iceland has sent patrol vessels to the earthquake site in Grindavik “for security purposes”.In addition, emergency shelters and help centres would open in Grindavik later Friday as well as three other locations in southern Iceland for information purposes and to assist people on the move.

Reykjanes-Hub of volcanic Eruptions

Since 2021, three eruptions shook the Reykjanes peninsula. The first one was in March 2021, followed by another in August 2022 and the third one in July 2023.Notably, Iceland also has 33 active volcanic systems, which is the highest in Europe.Prior to the March 2021, eruption in an uninhabited area around Mount Fagradalsfjall, the Reykjanes volcanic system had remained dormant for eight centuries.In April 2010, more than one crore people were stranded after nearly 100,000 flights were cancelled worldwide due to a massive volcanic eruption in Iceland’s southern area.