Earthquake of Magnitude 3.9 Near Grímsey

An earthquake of magnitude 3.9 hit near Grímsey island, off the north coast of Iceland, at 10:06 pm last night, mbl.is reports.

According to the Icelandic Met Office, the source of the earthquake was 12.2 km north-northeast of the island, at a depth of 12.6 km.

Four tremors registered near Grímsey at an interval of a few minutes last night, the largest one of magnitude 2.5. The source of all of them was between 10 and 11.5 km northeast of Grímsey.

Einar Hjörleifsson, natural hazards specialist at the Icelandic Met Office tells mbl.is there is nothing abnormal about those quakes. They are typical for an area which is seismically very active. Last night’s largest earthquake, he notes, was the area’s ninth in excess of magnitude 3 this year.

He adds that the quakes do not pose much risk, noting that the residents of Grímsey have no doubt gotten used to such seismic activity, although large earthquakes are always uncomfortable.

You can follow seismic activity in Iceland on vedur.is.