State of emergency in Iceland under threat of major eruption of Fagradalsfjall

Three eruptions since 2021 on the Reykjanes peninsula, in a desert area and therefore without any particular risk, can only be a good prelude to what should be called the “Reyknes fires”. Indeed, after affecting the Blue Lagoon sector for a fortnight, about 3 kilometers north of the town of Grindavik and in connection with it behind Mount Örbjörn, the seismicity and deformation on 10 November intensified very markedly and moved towards the east. Has gone. Indeed, while more than 20,000 earthquakes had already been recorded since October 24, about 2 kilometers east of the Svartsengi geothermal power plant and then, during the day, with a north-east/south-west alignment, the town While biting, several shocks started coming. Grindavík’s…

Relive the eruption of Mount Pelée as described by volcanologist Jacques-Marie Bardintzeff. © Futura

Thus, during the night of 10 to 11 November, the 4,000 inhabitants of this small town located in the south of the Reykjanes peninsula remained in fear. And with good reason, between 4 pm and 7 am local time, more than 300 earthquakes occurred magnitudemagnitude 3 were recorded, including 4 over thirty and 5 over two! Furthermore, the distortion in the sector is also extraordinary: some stations GPSGPS Thus in a few hours it moved more than a meter horizontally and about 20 centimeters vertically! This is absolutely important!

A shivering atmosphere in a house in Grindavik on the night of 10 to 11 November. like gold?

Seismicity from yesterday: Every star is like a “big” earthquake! Note that it develops from the Sundhnukar region on the right side of the map, then into two branches: the main one towards the south-west and the other towards the west-south-west! Grindavik is located on the coast, under the stars…

State of emergency declared

This alignment of earthquakes, and their relative shallowness, as well as the significant deformation of the ground in this area unquestionably confirms the establishment of a vertical magmatic drain at this level, which we call a dam several days later. Horizontal magical intrusion, which we call threshold! MagmaMagma Thus it will be very close to the surface… and if the disturbance seems to be subsiding this morning, there is a good chance of an eruption at Grindavik, further north or even out to sea!

Faced with this threat, Icelandic authorities ordered a state of emergency. Thus Grindavik was evacuated. Route 43, which passes over this dam and which was damaged yesterday, has been closed. The aviation alert has been raised to orange. Ultimately, the Blue Lagoon and a neighboring geothermal power plant were also evacuated. And even though the problems in this sector seem to be going away a bit ConstructionConstruction from a mound of teretere Started protecting this critical infrastructure. Ultimately, its length can be up to 4 kilometers, and its height can be from 6 to 8 meters! It is actually a quite important economic area, on the one hand because the Blue Lagoon and its outdoor hot baths are a particularly popular place and frequented by tourists. But above all, because of the nearby geothermal power station, which also releases its abundant water mineralmineral Along with undeniable dermatological benefits, Reykjanes produces hot water and electricity for the inhabitants of the peninsula, that is, 21,000 homes!

A crack in Route 43 that crosses the peninsula from north to south!

Project for the protection of the Blue Lagoon and the Svartsengi geothermal power plant!

Iceland fears an eruption in the area of ​​the famous Blue Lagoon

In three years, there have already been three eruptions on the Reykjanes Peninsula in the southwest of Iceland… and a fourth could be coming soon! Indeed, on October 24, a seismic swarm began, which was associated with the deformation of the ground surface in the area of ​​the Svartsengi geothermal power plant, which supplies hot water to the famous Blue Lagoon. An eruption here, in the middle of a vast but largely desert peninsula, could be devastating!

par value Ludovic LeducLudovic LeducArticle published on 2 November 2023

Over more than three years, the Reykjanes Peninsula has been shaken by numerous earthquakes due to repeated magmatic intrusions, some of which have resulted in eruptions. The three incidents that have occurred so far have occurred on Mount Fagradalsfjall, but the disturbance affects the entire area! Thus, the seismic swarm that started on October 24 occurred in the area of ​​Mount Dörbjörn, about eight kilometers west of Fagradalsfjall, a few kilometers from the town of Grindavik. However, since October 27, land surface swelling has also affected the area. And if ground deformation has already occurred in the area since the beginning of the period of unrest, the rate of deformation seems more significant… However, seismicity combined with deformation confirms a magmatic intrusion: so magma would About four kilometers deep. Clearly, an eruption is possible there in the short term, which is why the aviation alert for the Reykjanes Peninsula has been raised to yellow.

Seismicity and ground deformation on the Reykjanes Peninsula.

Risky sector in almost desert area

Like many places on this spectacular island in the North Atlantic, Reykjanes is known for its vast expanses of mineral desert: human infrastructure is therefore limited. As a result, the risks associated with a potential eruption that would be similar to previous eruptions, i.e. with much lower explosiveness, would be quite limited. Except for a few strategic locations, such as the area where the unrest is currently taking place… Indeed, at the foot of Mount Orbjørn is the Svartsengi Geothermal Power Station which supplies hot water and electricity to this area of ​​the island. It also releases hot water that supplies the bathing of the nearby Blue Lagoon, a particularly popular tourist destination in Iceland: an eruption here could therefore cause many problems…