According to the Icelandic Meteorological Office, about 17,000 earthquakes have affected the southwestern region of Reykjanes. The largest quake, with a magnitude of 5.6 on the Richter scale, struck on the morning of February 24. It was the most violent among the recorded quakes, and the locals of Iceland’s capital city of Reykjavik—including the municipalities surrounding it—still fear the continuous earthquakes.

Two larger earthquakes with magnitudes of over 5.0 struck on February 27 and March 1. While minor cracks in local roads and rockfalls on steep slopes near the swarm’s epicenter have been confirmed by Iceland’s Road and Coastal Administration, the quakes have caused little damage so far. Reykjavik resident Auður Alfa Ólafsdóttir said that she had experienced earthquakes before but never so many in a row. She added that it was very unusual to feel the Earth shake 24 hours a day for a whole week. It made her feel very small and powerless against nature. The tremors have been felt by residents of Grindavk, a fishing area. Páll Valur Björnsson, a deputy member of Parliament and a professor at the local College of Fisheries said that he had never seen anything like that before. He also added that the earthquakes started a year ago, but they are more intense now compared before.