Iceland on alert for volcanic eruption, 2,200 quakes detected in 24-hour period
Iceland's Mount Fagradalsfjall is in danger of erupting soon, according to the country's meteorological institute. About 2,220 earthquakes were measured and the largest felt in the capital region.
The quakes began late Tuesday afternoon (July 4) under Mount Fagradalsfjall on the Reykjanes Peninsula at Iceland's southwest. This is where two eruptions occurred in 2021 and 2022. Seven of the recorded tremors had a magnitude greater than 4, which is considered a light tremor. The aviation industry was alerted to the risk of an eruption.
People on the slopes of Fagradalsfjall, watching the Geldingadalir eruption in March 2021. (Source: Berserkur/Wikipedia/CC BY 4.0)
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The Icelandic Meteorological Institute expects a volcanic eruption “in the hours or days to come", despite no volcanic tremor being observed.
What is a volcanic tremor? These are multiple continuous tremors that occur both before and during a volcanic eruption.
Geldingadalir eruption near Fagradalsfjall, 24 March 2021. (Source: Berserkur/Wikipedia/CC BY 4.0)
A country known for its volcanic eruptions
Iceland is the largest and most active volcanic region in Europe. This is because the country straddles the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the fault that separates the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates. In the past two years, two eruptions have occurred near Mount Fagradalsfjall.
Source: Phys.org
With files from Sarah Hubsch
