Likelihood Of Iceland Volcano Eruption High As Non-Stop Tremors Rattle Southwest - Reports

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Likelihood of Iceland Volcano Eruption High as Non-Stop Tremors Rattle Southwest - Reports

Some parts of Iceland have experienced unceasing tremors with 17,000 registered earthquakes shaking the southwest over the past week, escalating the chances for an eruption, CNN reported

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 04th March, 2021) Some parts of Iceland have experienced unceasing tremors with 17,000 registered earthquakes shaking the southwest over the past week, escalating the chances for an eruption, CNN reported.

According to the Icelandic Meteorological Office, an estimated 5.6-magnitude earthquake was registered on February 24, rattling residents in the nearby capital of Reykjavik and the adjacent areas. Two more 5.0-magnitude quakes rocked the region on February 27 and March 1. The tremors have caused little damage to Iceland's earthquake-ready infrastructure.

"It is very unusual to feel the earth shake 24 hours a day for a whole week. It makes you feel very small and powerless against nature," a Reykjavik resident told CNN.

The broadcaster also reported that local officials warned a volcano eruption could be imminent. However, no settlements appear to be at risk from lava flows if that happens, according to the University of Iceland's Volcanology and Natural Hazard Group.

"We are battling with the 'why' at the moment. Why is this happening? It is very likely that we have an intrusion of magma into the [Earth's] crust there. It has definitely moved closer to the surface, but we are trying to figure out if it's moving even closer to it," Thorvaldur Thordarson, a professor of volcanology at the University of Iceland, told CNN.

Earthquakes are frequent in Iceland, as the island nation is located on a tectonic plate boundary that frequently splits apart.