800 earthquakes rock Iceland in 14 hours, country declares state of emergency

Iceland declared a ‘state of emergency’ on Friday following a series of small and medium intensity earthquakes in the southwest Reykjanes peninsula.

The Icelandic authorities warned in an official statement that the seismic activity might lead to volcanic eruptions. The Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management of Iceland stated, 'The National police chief declares a state of emergency for civil defence due to the intense earthquake activity at Sundhnjukagigar, north of Grindavik.'

The Icelandic Met Office (IMO) estimated that the possible volcanic eruptions could occur 'in several days'. On Friday, the Reykjanes peninsula was rocked by approximately 4,000 small to medium intensity earthquakes. As per preliminary IMO data, the largest tremor recorded had a magnitude of 5.2, north of Grindavik, a village on the Reykjanes peninsula.

Since late October, the IMO has recorded about 24,000 tremors on the peninsula, with almost 800 quakes registered between midnight and 2 pm GMT Friday. The Blue Lagoon geothermal spa, one of Iceland’s top tourist attractions, has been temporarily closed due to potential eruptions.

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