Iceland’s 50 000 earthquakes

Residents of the small Icelandic fishing town of Grindavik are having sleepless nights.

Some residents even went to find some stable ground in Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik. The reason? Seismic activity in the Krysuvik volcanic system not far from the fishing town has led to thousands of earthquakes — some up to 5.3 on the Richter scale in magnitude. Consequently, regular tremors in Grindavik are something residents are now getting used to since they started in late February. The town is located in a volcanic zone that has been dormant for at least 800 years. But it is believed that the consistent earthquakes will lead to a volcanic eruption soon. While waiting for the tremors to subside or the volcano to erupt, one resident told Reuters: “Everyone here is so tired… It’s like you’re walking over a fragile suspension bridge.”