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Iceland's Fagradalsfjall volcano erupted last year
Photo:
HALLDOR KOLBEINS / AFP
Southwest Iceland has been shaken by a powerful earthquake.
It happened near Grindavík around 50 kilometers southwest of the capital Reykjavik on Sunday evening and was felt throughout the region around the Reykjanes peninsula.
The Icelandic weather authority spoke of a magnitude of 5.4.
The tremor was part of a renewed series of earthquakes that began on Saturday at noon.
Hundreds of other tremors also occurred on Monday morning, including several with a magnitude of more than 4.0, official data showed.
The earthquake swarm is believed to be caused by underground magma movement.
Some damage was reported to the authorities, no injuries so far.
There had been a month-long volcanic eruption in the area last year, which had announced itself with a strong series of earthquakes.
A leading Icelandic volcanologist, Thorvaldur Thórdarson, told RÚV radio that Icelanders should brace themselves for a powerful eruption on the peninsula.
An outbreak is likely in the next few years or months.
32 active volcanic systems in Iceland
The area is also home to Keflavik Airport, the largest in Iceland, through which almost all international air traffic to and from the North Atlantic island passes.
Iceland has 32 active volcanic systems, with an average eruption every five years.
In April 2010, the eruption of the smaller volcano Eyjafjallajökull paralyzed air traffic in Europe for a month.
More than 100,000 flights were canceled at the time, and a good ten million travelers were stuck at airports for days.
Eruptions had always attracted onlookers in the past.
For thousands of Icelanders, the eruption of Fagradalsfjall last year was a welcome distraction from the coronavirus crisis.
There was almost a festival atmosphere near the crater (see a video here).
bam/dpa
