![]() University of Iceland's Nordic Volcanological Center Lava flow modeling in Reykjanes Penninsula by University of Iceland researchers at the Nordic Volcanological Center. No towns appear to be at risk from lava flows in the event of a volcanic eruption, according to the latest modeling by the University of Iceland’s Volcanology and Natural Hazard Group, which released maps of potential flows on Wednesday. But we could have a 6.5 to the east of the area, east of the Kleifarvatn Lake,” she says. “In this particular area, where we’ve seen activity in the past week, we could experience a magnitude 6.0 earthquake. She warns that a more powerful event could be cause for concern, and estimates that the area could experience a magnitude 6 earthquake or above. She too can’t remember having ever experienced so many earthquakes over such a long period of time. Halldor Kolbeins/AFP/Getty ImagesĮlísabet Pálmadóttir, specialist in natural hazards at the Icelandic Meteorological Office, told CNN that authorities are deploying surveillance equipment in the area, from GPS and earthquake monitors to web cameras and gas detectors. With multiple volcanoes in the area, local officials have warned that an eruption could be imminent.Īerial view taken on Februshows the lighthouse and the geothermal energy plant near the town of Grindavik on the Reykjanes peninsula, Iceland. It has definitely moved closer to the surface, but we are trying to figure out if it’s moving even closer to it,” he said. Why is this happening? It is very likely that we have an intrusion of magma into the crust there. “We are battling with the ‘why’ at the moment. It’s been going for more than a week now.” ![]() For this region, this is actually fairly unusual, not because of the type of earthquakes or their intensity, but for their duration. Þorvaldur Þórðarson, a professor of volcanology at the University of Iceland, said concerns over the recent activity are understandable. Only this time, there seems to be no end to the rumble under the ground. Occasional stronger tremors are an inevitable part of living in an active seismic region. Most seismic activity here is only picked up by sensitive scientific equipment. 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. 'Well, this is Iceland': Earthquake interrupts Prime Minister's interview AFP PHOTO / Odd ANDERSEN (Photo credit should read ODD ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty Images) ODD ANDERSEN/AFP/AFP via Getty Images Iceland's Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir gestures as she gives joint press statements with the German Chancellor prior to their talks on Maat the Chancellery in Berlin. It makes you feel very small and powerless against nature.” “It is very unusual to feel the Earth shake 24 hours a day for a whole week. “ I have experienced earthquakes before but never so many in a row,” Reykjavik resident Auður Alfa Ólafsdóttir told CNN. The quakes have caused little damage so far, though Iceland’s Road and Coastal Administration has reported small cracks in roads in the area and rockfalls on steep slopes near the epicenter of the swarm. ![]() ![]() Two larger earthquakes – over magnitude 5.0 – also hit on February 27 and March 1. It was the loudest in a swarm that continues to rattle residents in the nearby capital city of Reykjavík and the municipalities around it, where two-thirds of the Icelandic population lives. The largest quake, a magnitude 5.6 on the Richter scale, occurred on the morning of February 24. According to the Icelandic Meteorological Office, around 17,000 earthquakes have hit the southwestern region of Reykjanes over the past week. Even for a volcanic island accustomed to the occasional tremor, this has been an unusual week for Iceland. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |