Earthquakes Rock Iceland, Volcanic Eruption Possible

Iceland is under a state of emergency after hundreds earthquakes rocked the the country’s southwestern Reykjanes peninsula.

CNN reported:

According to the Icelandic Met Office, around 1,400 earthquakes were measured in the 24 hours leading up to around midday on Thursday November 9, with another 800 in the first 14 hours of Friday. Seven of Thursday’s were of a magnitude of four or above – and all of these were on the peninsula, between Eldvörp, near the airport, and Sýlingarfell, a mountain just to the east of the Blue Lagoon.

The Icelandic Met Office (IMO) said on Saturday that there’s a considerable chance of a volcanic eruption: “Our assessment is that an eruption, if it were to occur, will originate from the northern side of the magma intrusion. This means that there is a greater likelihood of an eruption beginning close to Sundhnjúkagígur. … The likelihood of a volcanic eruption occurring in the near future is deemed considerable.”

According to the IMO, 24,000 tremors have been registered since late October, with “a dense swarm” of nearly 800 quakes registered between midnight and 2pm GMT on Friday.