Iceland hit by 880 earthquakes overnight, amid volcanic eruption fears
- The tremors were registered between midnight and 6am on Sunday. There have been evacuations, street cracks and metre-wide holes in the ground
- Volcanic eruptions in 2021, 2022 and July this year were all preceded by a series of earthquakes, with thousands in the last couple of weeks
A series of earthquakes is continuing to shake Iceland, with some 880 tremors registered by the authorities between midnight and 6am on Sunday, broadcaster RUV reported.
All the tremors were small, however, measuring below a magnitude of 3.0, making it a quieter night overall than the previous two nights.
There are still fears of volcanic eruption on the Reykjanes Peninsula southwest of the capital Reykjavik.
However, data from the night showed no change in the position of the magma chambers.
The authorities have evacuated the nearby town of Grindavík with around 3,700 inhabitants and also closed the nearby Blue Lagoon geothermal pool, the North Atlantic island’s most famous tourist attraction.
Photos from the area show deep cracks in the streets and metre-wide holes in the ground.
The Icelandic government was set to meet to discuss the situation at midday on Sunday.
The so-called “earthquake swarm” began around two and a half weeks ago. There have been thousands of quakes since then.
Volcanic eruptions occurred on the Reykjanes Peninsula in 2021, 2022 and in July this year.
In each case, they were preceded by longer series of earthquakes. There was no danger to populated areas during any of those three eruptions.
