From Iceland — Dozens Of Earthquakes, All But Two Under Magnitude Of 3, In Southwest Since Midnight

Dozens Of Earthquakes, All But Two Under Magnitude Of 3, In Southwest Since Midnight

Published January 29, 2020

Andie Sophia Fontaine
Photo by
Art Bicnick

At the time of this writing, 29 earthquakes have been recorded in southwest Iceland since midnight last night, the vast majority of them at or near Grindavík. However, only two were recorded with a magnitude greater than 3—most were between 0.5 and 1.5.

The two earthquakes over a magnitude of 3—a 3.5 at 4:31 this morning and a 3.2 at 4:49—were both recorded at Grindavík.

It bears emphasising that this area of southwest Iceland, the Reykjanes peninsula, experiences tremors year round. However, coupled with recent news of ground inflation detected just west of the Mt. Þorbjörn volcano near Grindavík, the data remains significant.

The situation at Grindavík remains relatively calm. Most residents of the town are maintaining their calm about the situation, RÚV reports, and scientists are currently in the area monitoring the situation closely.

As such, while laypersons and scientists alike are paying close attention to the volcano, for now all remains peaceful.

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