Last Weekend’s Earthquakes Possibly Caused By Geothermal Power

A series of quakes reported over the past few days may be connected to the Hellisheiði geothermal power plant.

RÚV reports that a tremor measuring 3.6 on the Richter scale was recorded near Húsmúla at Hellisheiði at about 23:30 last night, followed 20 minutes later by another quake measuring 3.0. The earthquakes were reportedly felt in Hveragerði, Mosfellsbær and Kópavogur, followed by several smaller aftershocks.

As it turns out, fluid re-injection for the Hellisheiði geothermal power plant takes place at Húsmúla, and as this process can lead to tremors, it might be the culprit behind the quakes.

In related news, two tremors were also reported near the Bárðarbunga volcano last evening. The first, measuring 3.8, occurred at 20:43 last night, followed by a second, measuring 3.7, just after 22:00. The site has seen some tremors recently, although there are no signs the volcano is set to erupt again.