Thousands of Earthquakes & Bracing for a Volcanic Eruption

All Things Iceland

Over the last week and a half, the south of Iceland has experienced tens of thousands of earthquakes and experts told us to brace for a possible volcanic eruption. All eyes are still on Reykjanes Peninsula, the place where all the action might go down. Mainstream media in other countries have picked up the story, which has resulted in people reaching out to me to know if I am safe and to hear what life is like in Iceland as we wait to see if a volcano will go off. During this episode, I’m sharing how I feel about the situation, if we are in any danger in Iceland, what experts are saying and more.

I am not an expert in Geology or Volcanology, but I hope to have one of them on soon to talk about the situation, especially if the threat of a volcano erupting continues.

In a previous episode, I interviewed Helga Kristín, a geologist and volcano expert. She shared why Iceland is so unique from a geological standpoint. If you haven’t heard that interview, I recommend checking it out.

When Did the Earthquakes in Iceland Begin?

On Wednesday, February 24th is when we started to feel earthquakes in the south. That day we experienced an earthquake that was the magnitude of 5.7. I remember this clearly because I took a short video of it and posted it in my Instagram stories. From that day on, we started to feel earthquakes consistently but not very many of them at once. Because I live in Mosfellsbær, which is about a 15 minute drive from downtown Reykjavík, I don’t feel the earthquakes as strongly as those in the city and definitely not as strongly as people living on the Reykjanes Peninsula. It was only early this week that the frequency of earthquakes increased.

When many thousands of them started happening in a very short period of time and there was magma build up, experts started to predict that we could have a volcanic eruption. One prediction was that it could happen within a few hours. However, that didn’t happen. The seismic activity has died down but that doesn’t mean this over. Right now we are just waiting to see what else the earth communicates to us.

About the Reykjanes Peninsula

For most people, their best reference regarding the Reykjanes Peninsula is that the iconic Blue Lagoon spa is located there. Keflavík International airport is also located on this peninsula. It’s about a 40 to 50 minute drive from the airport to Reykavík. The fascinating thing to me is that this peninsula is so underrated. The diverse landscape and nature is insanely beautiful there. You can find black sand beaches, an area that looks like the highlands, geothermal hot springs and so much more. I feel like it is almost hidden in plain sight because hundreds of thousands of visitors to Iceland arrive at the airport and/or visit the Blue Lagoon and then skip the rest of the peninsula.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7pKW629KRw

How are people feeling? Are people living in Iceland safe?

The feelings of people in Iceland are mixed. Some are feeling very anxious because of the earthquakes and others are feeling excited about the prospect of an eruption. Of course, there are probably some people who don’t care at all. It’s important to know that Icelandic buildings have been made to withstand large earthquakes, so that is something we don’t need to worry about.

I’m in the group of people that are excited about all of this. Geological experts and other authorities have made it clear that we are not in any danger and they are doing their best to keep us all informed. Because of that, I feel comfortable being excited about possibly experiencing my first volcanic eruption.

5 Possible Scenarios if the Volcano Were to Erupt

Below are the possible scenarios that have been outlined by experts. It is an excerpt from an Iceland Review article:

• The seismic unrest will die down in the next few days or weeks.
• If the seismic unrest will pick up, culminating in an earthquake up to M6 originating close to Fagradalsfjall.
• The seismic unrest will pick up, culminating in an earthquake up to M6.5 originating close to Brennisteinsfjöll.
• The magma intrusion continues close to Fagradalsfjall but the activity dies down and the magma solidifies.
• The magma intrusion continues, culminating in a fissure eruption and lava flow that will likely not threaten inhabited areas.

The fifth scenario essentially means a volcanic eruption. However, scientists predict that even a medium-sized lava flow would not impact people because it would not reach inhabited areas.

Here you can see a live stream of the area where the earthquakes are coming from and the volcano might erupt.

What if people need to evacuate because of a volcanic eruption in Iceland?

The authorities have evacuation plans for major catastrophic events, such as a big eruption. For the most part, the instructions change depending on the region and circumstances of the event. Here is a great article from The Reykjavík Grapevine about evacuation plans that the Icelandic government has set up.

Random Fact of the Episode

There have been some other earthquakes felt recently from the area where Eyjafjallajökull is located. There are many active volcanoes in Iceland so it isn’t abnormal that this would happen but it does make for quite an interesting experience for all of us living here.

Icelandic Word of the episode

There is a running joke in Iceland that it will be so much fun to hear foreign media people try to pronounce the name of the volcano that might go off. It’s name is Þráinnsskjaldarhraun! During this episode, I teach you how to pronounce Þráinnsskjaldarhraun volcano.

Þráinn – the name of a person, potentially a character in Njáls Saga

Skjaldar – shield/armor

Hraun – lava

Join The All Things Iceland Patreon Community

Some of you might be aware that one of my goals for the podcast is to travel around Iceland more to interview different people in each region. In July, I set up the All Things Iceland community on Patreon. It’s a membership platform that was founded in 2013. It allows for creators like me to provide exclusive content to listeners like you in exchange for a monthly subscription.

Each month I am doing Ask Me Anything videos, Live Chats, and Folklore Friday each week. Sometimes I do updates about my life in Iceland. I do not share this content on any other channel. The support from my patrons on the All Things Iceland community on Patreon will help to evolve All Things Iceland. There are several membership tiers to choose from and each tier has a variety of benefits.

If you would like to join the community, go to patreon.com/allthingsiceland. I look forward to having you join.

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Þakka þér kærlega fyrir að hlusta (og að lesa) og sjáumst fljótlega

Thank you kindly for listening (and reading) and see you soon!