Lying between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates, one of the largest on the planet, Iceland is a seismic and volcanic hotspot as the two plates move in opposite directions.
Volcano in Iceland. Photo: Reuters
Although earthquakes occur daily in Iceland, the latest quake was unusually large.
“These earthquakes are a warning sign that we are entering a period of preparation for the next volcanic eruption,” said Matthew Roberts, head of the IMO Research and Services department.
The earthquakes originate at depths of up to 5 km and are caused by a long-term accumulation of magma that has built up pressure and is now gradually rising towards the Earth's surface, he added.
Earlier this year, a volcano erupted in an uninhabited area of the Reykjanes Peninsula after several powerful earthquakes. It was the third eruption southwest of the capital Reykjavik since 2021.
The IMO said a fourth eruption could now be developing, although predicting when the volcano will erupt is difficult.
A similar phenomenon is occurring in Pozzuoli, a port town outside Naples, Italy. In recent weeks, authorities there have planned to evacuate tens of thousands of people living around the vast volcanic area known as Campi Flegrei.
Sulphur fumes billow from the surface, making the area a tourist hotspot. Residents have grown accustomed to the smell, dust and tremors, with more than a thousand earthquakes hitting the area in September, most of them very small.
But a magnitude 4.2 earthquake on September 27, the strongest to rock the volcanic region in more than 40 years, has raised concerns that a “seismic crisis” could be underway for the first time since the early 1980s.
The Italian government is discussing the situation and will order evacuations if buildings are at risk of collapsing in an earthquake. A similar crisis occurred four decades ago, lasting several years and forcing 40,000 people to temporarily evacuate Pozzuoli.
Hoang Nam (according to Reuters, CNA)
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