Iceland braces for possible volcanic eruption after 1,400 earthquakes in 24 hours

Iceland declared an emergency and issued evacuation orders for a popular tourist town Saturday after 1,400 earthquakes were recorded in a 24-hour period — sparking fears of an impending volcanic eruption.

Authorities urged residents of Grindavík to flee the coastal town following the flurry of seismic activity roughly 3 miles below the surface of the Reykjanes Peninsula.

“There are indications that a considerable amount of magma is moving in an area” near the Fagradalsfjall volcano, about 25 miles southwest of Reykjavik, the country’s capital, the Icelandic Meteorological Office said in an 11:30 p.m. update.

“The amount of magma involved is significantly more than what was observed in the largest magma intrusions associated with the eruptions at Fagradalsfjall.”

The tremors are “very similar” to the seismic activity that was measured about a month before the volcano erupted in 2021, which lasted for six months.

Although heavily encouraged, the civil protection evacuation is not mandated.

The seismic activity began on Oct. 25, shaking the peninsula with hundreds of small earthquakes every day. Land in the region has risen by 9 centimeters since Oct. 27, according to the IMO.

In a 24-hour span from Wednesday to Thursday, 1,400 quakes rattled the peninsula — including two exceeding a magnitude of 5.0 and at least seven topping 4.5 on the Richter scale.

Scientists are closely monitoring the situation for any indication that the seismic activity is getting closer to the surface, which could be an indication that the magma is breaking through the earth’s crust, the Met Office said.

Officials believe the eruption could occur less than 2 miles away from the Blue Lagoon geothermal spa — one of Iceland’s biggest tourist attractions — prompting the business to temporarily close out of an ambulance of caution.

The lava could threaten the popular destination, as well as the town of Grindavík and the thousands of homes that are heated by the lagoon’s geothermal energy.

“Presently, there are no signs that earthquake activity is becoming shallower,” the Met said on its website. “However, the situation could change quickly, and it is not possible to exclude a scenario involving a lava-producing eruption in the area northwest of Thorbjorn.”

With Post wires