Category: Reykjanes

Posted on

Overview of micro-earthquake activity in Iceland 28-September-2016

This is a short overview of the micro-earthquake activity in Iceland on 28-September-2016. Please note that some of this earthquake activity may have started some days ago and only got really busy on 28th September 2016.

Kolbeinsey Island / Ridge

Late on the 28-September-2016 an earthquake swarm took place in Kolbeinsey Island / Ridge. This is the largest earthquake swarm in this article. With the largest earthquakes having the magnitude above 3,0. Due to distance from the SIL network exact calculation of the magnitude and depth doesn’t appear to be possible. Last eruption taking place in Kolbeinsey Island / Ridge took place in the year 1755. No other eruptions have been documented since, but they might regardless have happened. The area is far from land and difficult to observe.

East of Grímsey Island (Tjörnes Fracture Zone)

Minor earthquake swarm has been taking place earth of Grímsey Island in a area that many suspect is a volcano (it is marked as such in the GVP database). The earthquake swarm in question does not appear to be a volcanic in origin. This appear to be a tectonic activity taking place, as the movement of TFZ is 20mm lateral movement/year (they fault slide each other 20mm/year) the rift movement is only 5mm/year (eastern part only). Image showing the movements can be found here (vedur.is).

160929_0025
Earthquake activity in Kolbeinsey Island and Tjörnes Fracture Zone. Copyright of this image belongs to Icelandic Met Office.

South Seismic Zone (SISZ)

A small swarm of earthquakes has been taking place in SISZ this week. The largest earthquake in this swarm has only had the magnitude of 2,1. The activity is only minor and does not suggest a large earthquake is about to happen. This might be aftershocks of the earthquakes in 2000 or 2008.

160929_0045
The earthquake activity in SISZ. It’s only minor and west of Selfoss (red dot). Copyright of this image belongs to Icelandic Met Office.

Reykjanes peninsula

Earthquake swarm started on 28-September-2016 on the Reykjanes peninsula. This earthquake swarm was not strong and the largest earthquake in this swarm only had the magnitude of 2,1 and all other earthquakes where smaller in magnitude. Total of 60 earthquake happened when the swarm was active.

160928_1425
The earthquake swarm on the Reykjanes peninsula. It was not big in magnitude, but had a total of 60 earthquakes. Copyright of this image belongs to Icelandic Met Office.

Few earthquake have also been taking place around Iceland without any other activity. This type of one-off earthquake activity is common in Iceland. Why it happens is unclear.

Article updated at 02:03 UTC on 29-September-2016. Word corrections.

Posted on

Earthquake activity on Reykjanes peninsula

Yesterday (29-August-2016) an magnitude 3,4 earthquake took place on Reykjanes Peninsula, this earthquake was felt due to how close it was to populated area.

160830_0015
Green star shows the location of the earthquake. Copyright of this image belongs to Icelandic Met Office.

No other earthquakes have followed this earthquake. Some minor earthquake happened before the main earthquake, no other activity has happened after the main earthquake.

Posted on

Minor earthquake swarm on the Reykjanes peninsula

Today (21-June-2016) a minor earthquake swarm took place on Reykjanes Peninsula, this earthquake swarm was located close to a mountain called Keilir. This was not a large earthquake swarm, around 20 earthquakes took place.

160621_1600
The earthquake swarm on the Reykjanes peninsula. The earthquakes are the red dots. Copyright of this image belongs to Iceland Met Office.

None of the earthquakes that took place was strong, with the largest earthquake only having the magnitude of 2,2. Other earthquakes that took place had smaller magnitude. This earthquake activity appears to have died out (for now at least).

Posted on

Minor earthquake swarm on the Reykjanes peninsula

Yesterday (11-February-2016) at 08:47 UTC an earthquake swarm started on the Reykjanes peninsula. This has so far been a small earthquake swarm and largest earthquake so far had the magnitude of 2,7 other earthquakes have been smaller in magnitude.

160211_2340
The earthquake swarm on the Reykjanes peninsula. This is at the moment a small earthquake swarm. Copyright of this image belongs to Iceland Met Office.

This is classic earthquake swarm pattern on the Reykjanes peninsula at the moment. It does appear that this earthquake swarm is over, but it might start again without warning. This earthquake swarm is not connected to a volcano activity in the area, but it is forming a rift valley in the area.

Article updated at 00:53 UTC.

Posted on

Magnitude 3,9 earthquake in Reykjanes peninsula

Tonight at 19:50 UTC a magnitude 3,9 earthquake took place in Krýsuvík volcano. This earthquake is not volcano related, this is a tectonic earthquake and has started a minor earthquake swarm in Krýsuvík area. Other earthquakes so far have been small, with largest aftershock having the magnitude of 1,6. The magnitude 3,9 earthquake was felt in Hafnarfjörður and in the Reykjavík area (and nearby towns).

160203_2215
The earthquake activity in Krýsuvík volcano tonight. Copyright of this image belongs to Iceland Met Office.

This earthquake swarm is currently ongoing, but it doesn’t appear to be a strong or a highly active earthquake swarm at the moment. It’s unclear if that is going to change since it’s impossible to predict how this earthquake swarms behave.

Posted on

Earthquake swarm on the Reykjanes peninsula (Fagradalsfjall mountain)

Yesterday (17-November-2015) and today (18-November-2015) an earthquake swarm started on the Reykjanes peninsula, this earthquake swarm took place in Fagradalsfjall mountain. Total of 80 – 90 earthquakes took place, none of them larger than magnitude 2,1.

151118_2140
The earthquake swarm on the Reykjanes peninsula. Copyright of this image belongs to Iceland Met Office.

This earthquake swarm looks like a fault swarm, rather than anything connected to a volcano. Earthquake activity might continue in this area for next few days, with a risk of earthquakes with magnitude above 3,0 happening.

Posted on

Overview of the small earthquake swarms in Iceland

Over the past few days there have been few minor earthquake swarms taking place in Iceland. None of the earthquake swarms have been large, all of them have been minor and no earthquake did reach the magnitude of 3,0 or larger.

150905_2125
The earthquake swarms in TFZ, Reykjanes peninsula and Bárðarbunga volcano. Copyright of this image belongs to Iceland Met Office.

Most of the earthquake activity that has been taking place has been happening in Bárðarbunga volcano, minor earthquake activity has been ongoing in the volcano and fissure since end of the eruption in February-2015. A swarm of small earthquakes took place on TFZ, none of those earthquakes reached magnitude 2,0. Most depth in this swarm was around 22 km, so magma might have been involved, this area is a rift valley. I don’t know of any documented eruption at this location, that does not mean it might not have happened. Minor earthquake swarm took place on the Reykjanes peninsula, one earthquake reached magnitude 2,8 with other earthquakes having smaller magnitude . The earthquake swarm took place in the volcano system of Krýsuvík. This earthquake swarm appears tectonic in nature rather then volcanic.

There has also been a minor earthquake swarm in Torfajökull volcano, it has been on the none-volcanic area between Torfajökull and Katla volcano. It’s unclear why this is happening, there is a chance this is a earthquake swarm in Katla volcano on the edge of the volcano system, or this is a earthquake swarm on the edge of the Torfajökull volcano system. I don’t have my maps so I can’t check for it.

Other then this it has been quiet in Iceland this week and for the past few weeks, this quiet might continue for the next few weeks to months.

Article updated at 23:45 UTC.

Posted on

Earthquake warning for Reykjanes peninsula

Icelandic Meteorological Office and Almannavarnir have issued a warning about possible large earthquake on the Reykjanes peninsula. This warning is triggered by the earthquake swarm in Krísuvík on 30-May-2015 and a second earthquake swarm on the Reykjanes ridge on 11-June-2015.

Largest earthquakes in this earthquake sequence once it starts might reach magnitude of 6,5. There remains a hope that the stress on the Reykjanes peninsula and Reykjanes ridge is going to be released out slowly without large earthquake taking place. The warning only covers the populated part of the Reykjanes, from Kleifarvatn and east to Ölfus. It is my view that chance is small at best, it might work out that, I do think that is unlikely outcome of this. It is impossible to know when this earthquake activity might happen, but since the warning has been issued it might only be few weeks to month until something happens.

Last large earthquake in Bláfjöll mountains (Breinnisteinsfjöll volcano) took place in 1929 and 1968. Due to the area in question being less populated than it is today there was no or little damage. Current warning says the people should prepare to limit damage, since in past few years the populated areas have moved closer earthquake risk areas of the Reykjanes peninsula.

The warning (in Icelandic)

Skjálftavirkni á Reykjanesskaga (vedur.is, Icelandic Meteorological Office, Icelandic)
Fréttatilkynning vegna jarðskjálftavirkni að undanförnu á svæðinu frá Krísuvík austur í Ölfus (vedur.is, pdf, Icelandic)

Icelandic News

Vara við skjálfta til að draga úr slysahættu (Vísir.is, Icelandic, pictures)
Hætta á stórum skjálfta á Reykjavíkursvæðinu (Vísir.is, Icelandic)

Donations: Please remember to support my work with donations or by using Amazon. Thanks for the support. 🙂

Article updated at 23:52 UTC.

Posted on

Minor earthquake swarm in Helgafell, Reykjanes Peninsula

Yesterday (29-January-2015) there was a minor earthquake swarm in small mountain named Helgafell on the Reykjanes peninsula. Largest earthquake in this swarm had the magnitude of 3,2 and was felt in Hafnarfjöður, a town closest to the source of this activity.

150130_1250
The minor earthquake swarm in Helgafell on Reykjanes peninsula. Copyright of this image belongs to Icelandic Met Office.

There is a chance of more earthquake activity in this area for next few days to weeks. Earthquake swarm activity is common on the Reykjanes peninsula.

Posted on

Minor earthquake swarm on Reykjanes peninsula

Yesterday (30-October-2014) there was a minor earthquake swarm on the Reykjanes peninsula in Krýsuvík volcano. Around 30 earthquakes where recorded in this swarm.

141031_2120
The earthquake swarm on the Reykjanes peninsula. Copyright of this image belongs to Icelandic Met Office.

Largest earthquakes in this swarm had the magnitude of 3,1 and 3,3 other earthquakes where smaller. This was tectonic only earthquake activity from the looks of it. I don’t know if more earthquakes are going to happen.