3.8 M Earthquake at 18:33 PM today at the tip of the Reykjanes peninsula

The tip of the Reykjanes peninsula where the earthquake was …

The tip of the Reykjanes peninsula where the earthquake was felt clearly today. mbl.is

An earthquake at 3,8 M on the Richter Magnitude scale hit today at 18:33 PM close to the tip of the Reykjanes peninsula according to the Icelandic Met Office. The earthquake was clearly felt in Grindavik and surrounding areas. The seismicity is located at 6.6 km depth and the source was 6.8 km from the tip of the Reykjanes peninsula.

Last night the people living in Grindavík had a meeting because of the series of earthquakes in the last few days in the area. Fannar Jónsson, the mayor of Grindavík was the chairman of the meeting but the idea was to answer questions about the likelihood of volcanic eruptions near Grindavik.

The eruption last year in Geldingardalir has people in Grindavik …

The eruption last year in Geldingardalir has people in Grindavik worried that the same thing might be happening again. mbl.is/Kristinn Magnússon

Jónsson said some people were worried, given their experience from last year, which resulted in the eruption in Geldingadalur. "It is understandable that people are a bit uneasy when we get a series of earthquakes again." He said he was not worried and added that the majority of the people in Grindavík were relatively calm.

"People are getting used to this, unfortunately," said Bogi Adolfsson the rescue squad chief of Þorbjörn to mbl.is about his teammates in the rescue squad. "They have a lot of experience now."

Could cause a lot of damage

"Lava eruptions in an unfortunate location could cause a lot of damage," said Magnús Tumi Guðmundsson, geophysicsist who gave a talk at the meeting. But he also added that it was unlikely that people would get hurt. He informed the meeting of the volcanic history of the area and  apart from the eruptions last year in Geldingadalur, the last eruption happened in the year 1240, so for close to 800 years there were no eruptions in the Reykjanes peninsula.

Magnús Tumi Guðmundsson geophysicsist went over the scientific aspects of …

Magnús Tumi Guðmundsson geophysicsist went over the scientific aspects of the situation at the meeting in Grindavik last night. mbl.is/Kristinn Magnússon

He also pointed out that it is impossible to predict how that kind of an eruption would come about.  The eruption cracks from the last 15 thousand years did not reach to the sea in the peninsula since the ice sheet melted and according to geology an eruption should not reach Grindavík. He also said it was impossible to predict when an eruption starts. The series of earthquakes could also stop in the next few days.

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