Seismic Activity Returning To Normal In Reykjanes Peninsula

According to geophysicist Páll Einarsson, seismic activity in the Reykjanes peninsula is returning back to normal. Lately, the plate boundaries that run along the peninsula have been clearly marked on earthquake maps, reports Morgunblaðið.

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Páll explains that seismic activity is normal in Reykjanes peninsula. “Usually, there are small earthquakes occurring in many parts of the peninsula,” he says.

At the moment, there is a prominent pause in seismic activity associated with Brennisteinsfjöll and Bláfjöll. “Although there is an open warning of a large earthquake, it has been quite a long time since that has happened,” Páll comments.

Þorvaldur Þórðarson, a professor of volcanology at the University of Iceland, seems to also think that the seismic activity is decreasing. He says that recently, embers have been spotted in the lava, and degassing has been happening in the crater and elsewhere. He mentions, however, that there are various indications that some magma is still rising to the surface.

This news comes just five days after it was reported that seismic activity may be on the rise. As always, the earth is a cruel mistress, and impossible to predict.