Shaking in their beds, sleepless Icelanders await a volcanic eruption

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) – Icelanders yearn to quietly close their eyes after earthquakes of tens of thousands of earthquakes rocked their sleep for weeks in what scientists are calling an unprecedented seismic event, which may well occur end with a spectacular volcanic eruption.

“Right now, we’re feeling it constantly. It’s like walking on a fragile suspension bridge, ”Rannveig Gudmundsdottir, a longtime resident of the town of Grindavik, told Reuters.

Grindavik is in the southern part of the Reykjanes Peninsula, a volcanic and seismic hotspot, where more than 40,000 earthquakes have occurred since February 24, exceeding the total number of earthquakes recorded last year.

Located between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates, Iceland frequently experiences earthquakes as the plates slowly drift in opposite directions at a rate of about 2 centimeters each year.

The source of the earthquakes of the past few weeks has been a large body of molten rock, known as magma, moving about one kilometer (0.6 miles) below the peninsula, as it attempts to spawn a way to the surface.

“We have never seen so much earthquake activity,” Sara Barsotti, volcanic risk coordinator at the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO), told Reuters.

Some of these earthquakes reached magnitudes as high as 5.7.

“Everyone here is so tired,” said Gudmundsdottir, a grade 5 teacher. “When I go to bed at night, all I think about is: am I going to sleep tonight?”.

Many in Grindavik have visited relatives, spent time in summer homes, or even rented a hotel room in Reykjavik, the capital, just to get a break and a good night’s sleep.

Icelandic authorities have warned of an impending volcanic eruption on the peninsula in early March, but said they did not expect it to disrupt international air traffic or damage critical infrastructure nearby.

Unlike the 2010 eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano, which interrupted around 900,000 flights and forced hundreds of Icelanders to leave their homes, the eruption on the peninsula is not expected to spit much ash or smoke into the atmosphere. .

Experts expect lava to erupt from cracks in the ground, possibly resulting in spectacular lava fountains, which could extend 20 to 100 meters into the air.

Already last year, the authorities put in place an emergency plan for Grindavik. One option is to put locals on boats in the North Atlantic, if an eruption closes the roads to the distant city.

“I trust the authorities to keep us informed and evacuate us,” Gudmundsdottir said. “I’m not scared, I’m just tired.”