‘Unprecedented seismic event’ in Iceland: 50,000 earthquakes in three weeks

With 130 volcanoes on their island and associated seismic activity, Icelanders are used to certain earthquakes. But they’ve never experienced it so badly as in recent weeks, volcanoes experts also confirm.

Some 50,000 earthquakes have been measured on the Reykanes Peninsula in the past three weeks. By way of comparison, 40,000 shocks were felt there over the whole of last year.

Experts speak of an “unprecedented seismic event” which could be a sign of a major volcanic eruption. “In several cases, the tremors had a magnitude greater than 5. I do not remember having experienced a similar situation,” says a local expert. Authorities also warned earlier this month of the risk of a volcanic eruption.

Residents miss a night’s rest

“It’s like walking on a suspension bridge all the time,” Rannveig Gudmundsdottir told Reuters news agency. She lives in the fishing village of Grindavik, where the tremors are most severe. “I’m not scared, I’m just tired.”

“You just don’t get used to it. What I miss most is a good night’s sleep. You wake up almost every night. Sometimes because you’ve felt the shaking, sometimes when it’s over,” a said the chairman of the city council Bergur Brynjar Álfþórsson in a local. newspaper.