The National Police Commissioner and Chief of Police in northeast Iceland declared an uncertainty phase on Friday due to ongoing seismic activity around the island of Grimsey. RÚV reports that a magnitude 4.9 earthquake was detected around the island at 4am on Thursday. Since then, there have been about 2,600 earthquakes. At 1:20 pm on Friday, there was another large 4.1 magnitude quake, followed by several quakes over 3.0.
According to the Civil Protection and Emergency Management Agency, the uncertainty phase “has begun and is characterized by events that may lead to threats to people, property, communities, or the environment. Cooperation and coordination between civil protection authorities and stakeholders will begin.Situation monitoring, assessment, investigation and evaluation will be enhanced.Events will be defined and hazard assessments will be conducted on a regular basis.”
People living in the known seismic areas of northeastern Iceland are advised to take appropriate precautions in preparation for ongoing seismic activity. These include securing household items such as flat screen televisions and fragile decorative items, removing paintings and photographs that can fall on people while sleeping, moving beds away from windows, and duck-coverings. – Includes familiarization with hold procedures. For more information on preparing for natural disasters, see the Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management website.
Seismic activity is common in northeastern Iceland, and there are currently no signs of a pending volcanic eruption, according to natural hazards experts at the Japan Meteorological Agency.
The northeastern post-uncertainty phase due to the ongoing earthquake near Grimsey was first published in the Iceland Review.
