Series of earthquakes on the Reykjanes peninsula

A magnitude 2,9 earthquake was detected at Reykjanes peninsula at 7 pm last night This is the largest earthquake in a series of earthquakes in the area, but it is uncertain whether the earthquake is related to the magma intrusion on Reykjanes peninsula.

Salóme Jórunn Bernharðsdóttir, a natural hazard specialist at the Icelandic Met Office, tells mbl.is that many of the earthquakes in the swarm were “medium-sized”. The largest earthquake measured at a depth of 9.6 kilometers, at 18.35 last night.

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Heading for volcanic unrest in the next days or weeks

“I don’t think there’s any specific conclusion that this is connected to the magma intrusion at Svartsengi in any direct way,” she says.

More tremors were detected in the dike yesterday than Saturday

According to the Met Office, about 6.5 million cubic metres of magma have flowed into the magma chamber at Svartsengi. Bernharðsdóttir says that 58 earthquakes have been recorded north of Grindavík since midnight Saturday.

“But it’s good to keep in mind that you should always be wary during these days. Because yesterday (Saturday) there was a snowstorm, which may affect the sensitivity of the meters,” she adds. “It may well be that there was more activity today (Sunday) than yesterday (Saturday), regardless, but we don’t see any other direct signs that things are changing.”

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Recurrent activity to be expected

The Met Office believes it is likely that magma levels in the current cycle will reach a similar volume as before the volcanic eruption on January 14, in the next two weeks and even days. The likelihood of a magma outburst and a volcanic eruption has therefore increased.
“We’re preparing on the premise that there might be an eruption in a short amount of time. It could be in the next few days or a few weeks,” she says, adding that the predicted notice was probably shorter than before.