Iceland has 33 active volcanic systems, the most in Europe. The picture (taken in March 2021) is of volcanic lava on the Reykjanes Peninsula of Iceland – Screenshot Washington Post/Getty Images
On November 11, Icelandic authorities said they had ordered the evacuation of thousands of people living in the town of Grindavik in southwestern Iceland as a precaution, after hundreds of earthquakes raised concerns about the risk of an eruption. According to AFP news agency, volcanic eruption.
Iceland declared a state of emergency after a series of powerful earthquakes struck the southwestern Reykjanes Peninsula on November 10. This may be indicative of a volcanic eruption near the Sundhanjukagiger area, about 3 km north of the town of Grindavik.
The Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) said the volcanic eruption was likely to occur “within days rather than hours”, as magma was accumulating underground at a depth of about 5 km over several days.
According to the IMO, about 24,000 earthquakes have been recorded on the Reykjanes Peninsula since the end of October, of which 800 were recorded between midnight and 2:00 am on November 10.
The town of Grindavik – about 40km south-west of Iceland’s capital Reykjavik – is located near the Blue Lagoon geothermal hot springs, a popular Icelandic tourist destination, which was temporarily closed earlier this week as a precaution. I went.
Grindavik is also located near the Svartsengi geothermal plant, which provides the main electricity and water supply for 30,000 residents on the Reykjanes peninsula.
Iceland has 33 active volcanic systems, the most in Europe.
(tags to translate)iceland
