Category: Eldeyjardrangur

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Earthquake swarm in Eldey volcano (out on the Reykjanes ridge)

Today (5-May 2024) at 20:33 UTC an earthquake with magnitude of Mw3,5 took place close to Eldey on the Reykjanes ridge. This is out in the ocean and considerable distance from land, so more earthquakes are happening then are being registered by Icelandic Met Office.

Green star and red dots out in the ocean, on the Reykjanes ridge. This is the current earthquake swarm on Reykjanes ridge.
Earthquake swarm in the Eldey volcano. Copyright of this image belongs to Icelandic Met Office.

This earthquake swarm is ongoing at the writing of this article. There are earthquakes that are only going to appear on Icelandic Met Office website after manual review in this earthquake swarm.

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Update on earthquake activity close to Eldey island on Reykjanes ridge on 7th July 2023 at 13:31 UTC

This is a short update because there’s a lot going on.

  • Largest earthquake during the last 24 hours close to Eldey island had a magnitude of Mw4,5.
  • This earthquake swarm looks like a dyke intrusion. Since the area is out in the ocean it is impossible to be sure.
  • Difficult to know if an eruption is going to happen in this area. If an eruption happens, effects are unlikely to be big because of ocean depth.
A lot of green stars all over the place and a lot of red dots. Since there has been heavy earthquake activity on Reykjanes ridge and Reykjanes peninsula in last few days.
Strong earthquake swarm activity on Reykjanes ridge and Reykjanes peninsula. Copyright of this image belongs to Icelandic Met Office.

It is my opinion that is unlikely to be an earthquake activity that is connected to the inflation in Fagradalsfjall mountain. Those earthquakes are closer to Fagradalsfjall mountain. It can’t be ruled out, but is unlikely to be the reason for this activity. Earlier activity in this same area also makes this unlikely to be a tectonic earthquake activity. It can’t be ruled out. Areas out in the ocean are always more difficult to figure out than activity on land with easier access.

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Earthquake swarm close to Eldey and Eldeyjarboða á Reykjanes ridge

It seems that sometimes in the last 24 hours an earthquake swarm started close to Eldey and Eldeyjarboða on the Reykjanes ridge. Largest earthquakes seems to be around Mw3,2 to Mw3,7 or in around that magnitude. Since it is close to impossible to see the earthquakes on the map in all the activity that is happening close to Keilir mountain and Fagradalsfjall mountain.

Green stars out in the ocean is the activity on the Reykjanes ridge. There's a lot of activity on this map and the whole thing is a mess to read.
Heavy earthquake activity on the Reykjanes peninsula and Reykjanes ridge. Copyright of this image belongs to Icelandic Met Office.

I don’t know if this earthquake swarm is connected to what is happening in Fagradalsfjall mountain and Keilir mountain. It seems unlikely, but this activity might have been triggered by that earthquake swarm. What is going on there is unclear. Since this is out in the ocean.