Iceland on edge.
For the past week an intense earthquake swarm has taken hold in the volcanic Reykjanes peninsula in southwest Iceland. The area is very close to Reykjavík and within a stone’s throw of Keflavík International Airport.
We have been experiencing tremors every few hours in Reykjavík for several days now. Analysis of satellite imagery shows that magma intrusion has occurred and this increases the likelihood of an eruption.
At the heart of this tectonic activity is the old volcano Keilir (literally “cone,” in Icelandic) and Fagradalsfjall, the mountain range next to it.
Nobody knows what’s going to happen next. Icelanders, for centuries, have lived by the motto Þetta reddast. (“It will all work out fine.”)
The first image shows Keilir looming behind Bessastaðir, the official residence of the President of Iceland.