Two Hundred Earthquakes off Southwest Iceland
By Eygló Svala Arnarsdóttir about 16 hours ago
Reykjanes. Photo: Eygló Svala Arnarsdóttir.
Approximately 200 earthquakes have been picked up by sensors off Reykjanes peninsula in Southwest Iceland since around 9 pm last night. The strongest quakes have been about 4.0 magnitude and could be felt in Keflavík and Akranes.
According to a statement from the Icelandic Met Office issued this morning, the earthquake swarm originated 4 km (2.5 miles) northwest of Geirfugladrangi. It is still ongoing but is not as strong as yesterday evening, mbl.is reports.
It's common for earthquake swarms to occur off Reykjanes and they don't necessarily lead to larger events, the Icelandic Met Office explained.
Earthquakes have also been common lately around Krýsuvík on Reykjanes peninsula and a 4.0 magnitude earthquake which hit there in May could clearly be felt in Reykjavík.
Following the seismic activities in the region, the Civil Protection Department issued a warning that a larger earthquake, of up to 6.5 magnitude, might occur.
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Volcano Near Reykjavík "Cannot be Ruled Out"
Published July 1, 2015
Increased seismic activity at the site of an undersea faultline could be an indication of an impending volcano.
The Icelandic Met Office reports a cluster of tremors happening right now on the Reykjanes Ridge, a faultline off the southwest coast of Iceland that lies on the bottom of the ocean. As can be seen in real time, these tremors are still continuing.
"We cannot rule out that there may be an eruption and a little volcano comes out," Kristín Jónsdóttir, an expert on earthquakes at the Icelandic Met Office, told MBL, but added that past precedent is a whole other matter. "What we have seen over the past year is that there comes up some activity, and then it just dies out. But it's still a possibility and we'll be paying close attention."
Hundreds of tremors have been recorded on the ridge, some measuring as high as 5 on the Richter Scale, though most measured at about 2 or 3. We will keep you updated if the situation intensifies.
http://grapevine.is/news/2015/07/01/volcano-near-reykjavik-cannot-be-ruled-out/--
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