Seismic Activity Starting Up Again In Reykjanes

After many months of little to no activity in the area, seismic activity in Reykjanes appears to be acting up again—albeit not to the extent it did in 2019.

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RÚV reports that there was an earthquake of a magnitude of 3 at around 20:00 last night and about three and a half kilometres northeast of Grindavík. The quake’s origins were about five kilometres beneath the surface of the earth.

In addition, the surface ground has risen again just north of Keilir and south of the current eruption site, which has seen a considerable decrease in activity in recent months. GPS measurements showed that the land rising has been modest, i.e., only about two centimetres. As such, it is not necessarily a sign that magma is rising to the surface.

Activity at the eruption site has all but ceased. Lava stopped spewing from the Fagradalsfjall eruption in late September, and although gas is still being emitted, it has been in considerably smaller concentrations than in the spring.