17,000 earthquakes hit Iceland in a week

Written by Arno Siad CNN

Even for a volcanic island used to an accidental earthquake, this was an extraordinary week for Iceland. According to the Icelandic Met Office, about 17,000 earthquakes struck the southwestern Reykjanes region during the past week.

The largest earthquake, measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale, occurred on the morning of February 24. This was the loudest earthquake in a swarm that continues to shake the population in the nearby capital, Reykjavik, and surrounding municipalities, where two-thirds of the population of the capital, Reykjavik, lives. Long live the Icelandic population. Two larger earthquakes – measuring 5.0 – struck on February 27 and March 1.

Earthquakes have caused little damage so far, although Iceland’s Roads and Coasts Administration has reported small cracks in roads in the area and rock falls on steep slopes near the epicenter.

“I’ve suffered earthquakes before but not much has happened in a row,” Auer Alpha Olafsdottir, a resident of Reykjavik, told CNN. “It is unusual for you to feel the earth shaking 24 hours a day for an entire week. It makes you feel very young and powerless in front of nature.”

In the fishing town of Grindavík, locals have been sitting in the front row because of the tremors. “I’ve never experienced anything like this before,” says Pal Valor Bjornson, who teaches at the local college of fisheries and works as a deputy MP.

“Used to it; it started a year ago. But it’s a lot more now – very anxious. I’m not scared but it’s uncomfortable. I woke up twice last night because of [tremors]. There was one pretty big when I went to sleep, and I woke up with one. It is difficult but you have to learn to live with it.

Iceland borders ever-splitting tectonic plates, pushing North America and Eurasia away from each other along the line of the Mid-Atlantic mountain range. Most of the seismic activity here is captured only by sensitive scientific equipment. Strong episodic tremors are an inevitable part of living in an active seismic zone.

Only this time, it seems like there is no end to underground disruption.

Orvaldor Ororson, a professor of volcanology at the University of Iceland, said the concerns about the latest activity are understandable. Of course people worry. For this region, this is actually somewhat unusual, not because of the type or intensity of earthquakes, but because of their duration. It’s been more than a week now. “

We are fighting the “why” right now. Why is this happening? It is very likely that we have penetration into magma in [Earth’s] The crust is there. It definitely got close to the surface, but we’re trying to see if it gets closer to it, ”he said. With multiple volcanoes in the area, local officials have warned that an eruption may be imminent.

Elizabeth Balmadottir, a natural hazards specialist at the Icelandic Met Office, told CNN that authorities are deploying monitoring equipment in the area, from Global Positioning System (GPS) and earthquake monitors to web cameras and gas detectors.

She also does not remember having had many earthquakes before over such a long period of time. It warns that a stronger event could be a cause for concern, and estimates that the region could witness an earthquake of magnitude 6 or higher.

“In this particular area, where we have seen activity last week, we could see a magnitude 6.0 earthquake. But we could have 6.5 to the east of the area, east of Lake Klevarvatn,” she says.

No city appears to be at risk of a pyroclastic flow in the event of a volcanic eruption, according to the latest modeling by the Volcanology and Natural Hazards Group at the University of Iceland, which released maps of potential flows on Wednesday.

“Based on the current model, no major town is in danger,” volcanologist mannrmann Höskuldsson told CNN, adding that Keflavík International Airport – one of the most direct connections between Iceland and the rest of the world – would also be avoided.

He added that the main road linking the airport with the capital Reykjavik, as well as some power lines, may be affected.

Balmadotere notes that such models do not take into account the potentially hazardous gases that could be emitted from a volcanic eruption.

The specter of the Big Bang is reminiscent of the Eyjafjallajökull eruption in 2010, which caused one of the largest air traffic closures in the world since World War II. But Balmadotere says a similar ash plume would be unlikely in the current situation.

Ðórðarson adds that “the composition of the magma here is very different, and the intensity of the explosive activity will be much lower.”

On Wednesday afternoon, an earthquake near Keeler volcano, just 20 miles south of the capital, prompted authorities to ban traffic in the area. The Icelandic MET office says on its website that similar activity preceded volcanic eruptions.

Fischer Rennison, chief overseer at Iceland’s Civil Protection and Emergency Management Department, told a news conference on Wednesday that an eruption was “more likely than others” over the next few hours. It would be the first in the region since the 12th century.

At the moment, residents are waiting for signs of an outbreak, some with enthusiasm, others anxiously. Víkurfréttir, a local news service, has installed a video camera aimed at Keilir, which will start a live broadcast in the event an eruption begins.

In the past 24 hours, the large earthquakes have felt the previous days have largely subsided – but the present lull may not last for long. “It’s definitely not over,” Balmadotter says.

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