Iceland: state of emergency and evacuation south of the capital Reykjavik
Iceland has declared a state of emergency and police officials have urged residents to evacuate the coastal town of Grindavík , not far from the capital Reykjavik, following an intense wave of earthquakes in the southwest of the country, linked to a possible volcanic eruption.
Nearly 800 tremors were recorded between midnight and 2pm on Friday, with the shallowest at a depth of 3-3.5 kilometers (1.86-2.18 miles), according to the Icelandic Meteorological Office.
In statements on Friday, Iceland's Civil Protection Agency said a forming magma tunnel could reach Grindavík. But as of Friday evening, the Icelandic authority said it was not possible to say whether and where the magma might break through to the surface.
“Earthquakes could become larger than those that have already occurred and this sequence of events could lead to an eruption. However, there are still no signs that the magma is approaching the surface. His progress is being monitored closely,” the Civil Protection Agency said.
Grindavik
Magma is a mixture of molten and semi-molten rock that lies beneath the surface of the Earth and which can cause an eruption when it reaches the surface, turning into lava.
The authorities called on residents to evacuate calmly and stressed that there is no imminent danger. “We want to reiterate that residents must evacuate their homes and leave the city. But we also want to reiterate that this is not an emergency evacuation, there is plenty of time to prepare, secure things and leave the city calmly,” the Civil Protection Agency said.
“It is clear that we are facing events that we Icelanders have never experienced before, at least not since the Vestmannaeyjar eruption. We faced it together, we will face it together and we will not lose heart,” added the Civil Protection Agency.
Since 2021, an eruption has occurred almost every 12 months, with the latest occurring in July south of the Icelandic capital Reykjavik. Although this city is south of Reykjavik and is not very far from the capital.
Iceland sits on a continuously dividing tectonic plate boundary, pushing North America and Eurasia apart along the line of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland is home to 32 active volcanoes.
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The article Iceland: state of emergency and evacuation south of the capital Reykjavik comes from Economic Scenarios .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/islanda-stato-di-emergenza-e-evacuazione-a-sud-della-capitale-reykjavik/ on Sat, 11 Nov 2023 18:00:54 +0000.