European Island nation Iceland is on high alert after around 40,000 earthquakes have hit the country’s south-western region of Reykjanes over the last 20 days since February 24. The residents in the country are bracing for a spectacular volcanic eruption as the region is a volcanic and seismic hot spot.
The number of earthquakes has exceeded the total number of earthquakes registered there last year.
“At the moment we’re feeling it constantly. It’s like you’re walking over a fragile suspension bridge,” Rannveig Gudmundsdottir, a lifelong resident in the town of Grindavik, located in the Reykjanes peninsula told Reuters.
“Everyone here is so tired,” another local said, adding, “When I go to bed at night, all I think about is…Am I going to get any sleep tonight?”
Located between the Eurasian and the North American tectonic plates, Iceland is the most active volcanic region in Europe, with an eruption every five years on average. Iceland frequently experiences earthquakes as the plates slowly drift in opposite directions at a pace of around 2 centimetres each year.