Iceland’s Earthquake Problems
Iceland has been dealing with numerous volcanic based threats that have now turned into a state of emergency for the whole country. The coastal town Grindavik has been evacuated due to the mass wave of intense earthquakes in the southwest of the country.
Around 800 quakes were recorded between 12am and 2pm on Friday. The shallowest depth was recorded to be around 3 kilometers according to the Icelandic Meteorological office .
According to Icelandic’s civil protection agency, a magma tunnel has been forming and could reach Grindavik. Magma is an extremely hot liquid and semi liquid rock located under earth’s surface. Earth has a structure of the inner, outer core, mantle, and crust. Magma is what erupts out of volcanos during eruptions.
Many popular tourist attractions across Iceland have been temporarily shut down due to the earthquakes such as the world-famous Blue Lagoon thermal pool which has shut down for the time due to continuous seismic activity across the country.
Since Iceland is an island, a volcanic eruption would have massive detrimental effects, because the people have nowhere to flee to other than flying to another country. If the worst-case scenario were to happen where there was a massive eruption that affects the whole island, it would be a disaster that would be extremely difficult to clean up.
Iceland sits on a tectonic plate boundary that continually splits apart, pushing North America and Eurasia away from each other along the line of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. It is home to 32 active volcanoes Iceland volcanic threats .
Current Updates
On the 28th of November 2023, around 300 more earthquakes were recorded. The largest of the 300, rated 2.3 out of 7 on the seismic scale. This happened near the town of Hagafell. This is also close to where experts say that an eruption is to take place.
At around 11:30AM on November 29, there were around 180 minor earthquakes near the Grindavik region alone Iceland earthquake live . All these minor earthquakes can build up volcanic activity, which is what is worrying the people of Iceland.
On the 4th of December, the largest volcanic eruption in the last 10 years has devastated a small Icelandic town.
On December 5th, at 6:17pm, a new sports complex in Grindavik barely escapes damage from thousands of mini earthquakes. The giant crack goes under the whole complex with the stability of the building in good condition. This also goes with other sports complexes in town as the same story has been reported.
On December 5th, at 7:57pm. According to Karl Pétur Jónsson, the information representative of the Executive Office, around 200 families in Grindavik are without homes. The agency advertised this weekend for available apartments and private houses for rent for at least three months for families and individuals from Grindvís. Grindavík remains closed to public traffic Iceland disaster update , but it will be possible to enter the town via Suðurstrandarveg and Nesveg.
A Deadly Cost
The country is faced with taking costly initiatives as earthquakes could cost the country around £30million in damages, including road work, building repairs and financial aid and reparations for families and people affected. £11.5million of the 37 million will be used to support workers in Grindavík. £15million be used to build a defense wall at the power plant in Svartsengi. A special fee will be enforced for homeowners over the next 3 years.
The whole situation is overwhelming for such a small town. It is quite unfortunate that families are without shelter during earthquakes and volcanic threats. This is especially dangerous in a country like Iceland where winter weather can get vigorously wild.
