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Iceland’s capital Reykjavik is rocked by a powerful 5.6 magnitude earthquake a week after an increase in seismic activity was recorded at the volcano that erupted in 2011, canceling hundreds of flights.
- The earthquake struck at 1:43 p.m. on Tuesday and was centered near Krysuvik, near Reykjavik
- PM Katrin Jakobsdottir was being interviewed on live television when she struck
- ‘Oh my gosh there’s an earthquake,’ she gasped as her house shook
- It comes after reports of increased seismic activity at a notorious volcano last week
Iceland’s capital Reykjavik has been rocked by a 5.6 magnitude earthquake a week after noise was detected from the volcano that grounded 900 flights in 2011.
Iceland’s Meteorological Office said the earthquake struck at 1.43 p.m. Tuesday and was centered near Krysuvik, about 20 miles south of the capital. There were no immediate reports of injuries.
Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir was being interviewed on live television from her home when everything around her began to shake.
‘Oh my gosh, there’s an earthquake,’ she said as she grabbed onto the desk in front of her and gasped.
Scroll down to see the video.
Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir was being interviewed on live television from her home when everything around her began to shake.
The Icelandic Meteorological Office said the earthquake struck at 1.43pm today and had its epicenter near Krysuvik, about 20 miles south of the capital.
Well this is Iceland! The 44-year-old prime minister said while laughing at the blast, saying he was ‘perfectly fine’ and that ‘the house was still going strong.’
Meanwhile, the parliament in Reykjavik was also rocked by seismic movements, sending a parliamentarian rushing home for cover.
Helgi Hrafn Gunnarsson, MP for the Pirate Party, stepped away from the lectern while the Speaker, Steingrímur J. Sigfússon, sat behind him.
“Just sit quietly, sit quietly,” the elderly statesman is heard saying to the deputy.
It comes after scientists warned last week that the Grímsvötn volcano was preparing for another eruption.
The volcano is known for spewing a 12-mile cloud of ash into the air and causing the cancellation of 900 flights in 2011.
Another Icelandic volcano, Eyjafjallajökull, erupted in 2010 and this caused many more disturbances, grounding around 100,000 flights.
Grímsvötn last erupted in 2011 (pictured) and spewed a cloud of ash 20 km (12 miles) into the air, causing the cancellation of 900 flights.
This is despite the fact that Eyjafjallajökull is considerably smaller than Grímsvötn.
Scientists have recorded signs of unrest in the area, with seismic activity indicating that magma is swelling in the volcano’s pipes.
Dr. Dave McGarvie, a volcano expert at Lancaster University, adds in an article for The Conversation: “Increased thermal activity has been melting more ice and there has also been a recent increase in seismic activity.”
All of these signs point to an imminent eruption and the next sign that experts are looking at is ‘an intense swarm of earthquakes lasting a few hours’.
This will indicate that the magma is moving upward and preparing to blow.
The Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) has already increased the aviation color code for the volcano from green to yellow as a precaution.
Grímsvötn’s icy roof means that its eruptions are not as catastrophic as those of other volcanoes.
Ash from the blast collides with a wall of ice, which can be up to 850 feet (260 meters) thick, and accumulates.
Rather than being a fine residue that lingers in the atmosphere, it becomes moist and sticky and plummets out of the air quickly, limiting disruption and damage.
“Therefore, the ash clouds only travel a few tens of kilometers from the site of the eruption,” says Dr. McGarvie.
“This is a good scenario for Icelanders and also for air travel, as it avoids the formation of substantial ash clouds that could shift and close the airspace.”
