According to data from the Icelandic Met Office, two earthquakes were detected in Central West Iceland just after midnight last night.
The first was a 3.7 recorded at five minutes past midnight, just under 20 kilometres southwest of Húsafell. This was followed by a 3.0 slightly closer to Húsafell, recorded at 01:15.
Earthquake are not entirely uncommon in this area, as RÚV reports this is actually the fourth over 3.0 since the start of the year.
“There have been some earthquakes recorded in this area over the past century,” natural hazard specialist at the Icelandic Met Office Einar Bessi Gestsson told reporters. “The largest one was in 1974, not at this exact location but nearby, that was a 5.5. So there are examples of large quakes there.”
Einar explained that this type of quake lies outside of fault lines and volcanic areas, and is the result of tension being released on the surface of the earth. He also said that, as always, it is impossible to predict if and when another quake will happen in this area any time soon.
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