Land is rising close to Svartsengi
The center of the land rising is close to the Blue Lagoon, around 1.5 km northwest of the mountain Þorbjörn. This is the fifth time since 2020 that land rises in this area. mbl.is/Kristinn Magnússon
Land is rising near Svartsengi, northwest of Þorbjörn mountain on the Reykjanes peninsula. It appears to have started rising yesterday, the latest data from the Icelandic Met Office indicates.
“The latest GPS data and an InS-AR image from satellite data from yesterday afternoon show clear signs of a land rising near Svartsengi,” the website of the Icelandic Met Office says.
It says that the land rise indicates increased pressure, most likely due to magma intrusion. The center of the land rise is near the Blue Lagoon, about 1.5 km northwest of Þorbjörn mountain, which is the fifth time since 2020 that a land rise has been detected there.
Land rising faster than before
“The first estimate of the current speed of the land rise is that it is faster than before. At this time there is no sign of magma moving closer to the surface; however, conditions can change in a short period of time.
The fissure movements caused by a trigger-slide near and east of Svartsengi could possibly allow the magma to move deeper in the crust,” the Met Office’s website states.
The complexity of the magma movements in the crust has an impact on a large area of the Reykjanes peninsula. The expansion continues at Fagradalsfjall mountain but deformation has stopped at Festarfjall mountain. The data show landrises near Svartsengi.
More than 7,000 earthquakes
More than 7,000 earthquakes have been detected in the earthquake-crash that began on October 25 north of Grindavík. The seismic swarm is still ongoing although the activity has decreased. There is still a chance of earthquakes to be detected in the area.
“Relationary calculations will be made today to try to estimate the depth and size of the intrusion northwest of Þorbjörn mountain,” the website of the Icelandic Met Office also states.
