Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 08:18am on 11 Nov 2023,Saturday Weather & Environment
Iceland declared a state of emergency Friday after nearly 800 earthquakes rattled the Reykjanes peninsula in just 14 hours, warning a volcanic eruption could be imminent. According to preliminary Icelandic Met Office figures, the biggest tremor had a magnitude of 5.2, north of Grindavik. Over 24,000 tremors have hit the area since October. On Friday, two major quakes were felt 40 km away in Reykjavik. Authorities said the intense seismic activity could lead to an eruption within days. The town of Grindavik near the epicenter is evacuating as a precaution. The Icelandic Met Office said magma is accumulating underground about 5 km down, and if it reaches the surface an eruption would likely take days. With 800 quakes in 14 hours, Iceland is on high alert as the rattled peninsula may soon erupt.
