1,800 Earthquakes Recorded Last Week In Reykjanes Peninsula

Around 1,800 earthquakes were measured on the Reykjanes Peninsula last week. RÚV reports thats Kristín Jónsdóttir, earthquake hazards coordinator at the Icelandic Meteorological Office, said at a conference for Nordic geologists that it should not come as a surprise should there be another eruption on the peninsula in the coming years.

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About 350 people attended the conference, which took place at Háskólabíó this morning. Kristín has led the large group of geoscientists who have been monitoring the activity in the Reykjanes peninsula over the past months. In her closing remarks, she said that an eruption could not be ruled out.

Kristín explains: “I say that because we have seen many volcanic systems take over from 2020. Since the eruption ended in Fagradalsfjall, there has been clear intrusive activity in December, which was only about half of the magma that came before the eruption. What we are seeing now is that a large area is expanding. The depth of the magma is around 15-16 kilometres. There is a lot of tension all over the peninsula, and the seismic activity is high.”

She clarifies what all this means: “It tells us that there is a considerable tension that increases the probability of insertion activity. Of course, it could end in an eruption.”

However, when it comes to predicting when it will happen, Kristín says, “It’s impossible to say.”