Inhabitants of Grímsey island, Iceland's northernmost point and most remote settlement are beginning to get concerned over the intense earthquake swarms which has been shaking the island since early this week. The seismic monitoring system of the Icelandic Meteorological Office has detected nearly 600 tremors in the past 48 hours. The latest swarm began late afternoon yesterday and shows no sign of dying down. The small island has seen repeated earthquake swarms since late January.
Read more: Why the constant earthquakes? Iceland is slowly being torn apart
Grímsey island is located on the Tjörnes fracture zone, an area known for high levels of geological and seismic activity. The tremors have not been accompanied by an elevated level of volcanic activity.
500+ quakes in just 48 hours
Most of the tremors have been relatively small, but the swarm has included three magnitude 3+ quakes and 66 2-3 magnitude quakes. The epicenters of the quakes have been just 10 km (6.2 mi) to the north-east of the island. A Grímsey resident told the National Broadcasting Service that the smaller quakes go unnoticed, but that any tremor larger than 2.5 on the Richter scale can be felt quite easily in the small settlement.
The seismic activity in Grímsey is concentrated along a rather narrow area north-east of the island. The epicenter is a submarine rift valley. A seismologist with the Icelandic Meteorological Office told the local newspaper Morgunblaðið that the there are a number of known rifts in the area where the earth's crust is pulled apart by the movement of the tectonic plates. The movement of the plates creates energy which is then released in earthquake swarms.
Read more: How fast is Iceland growing due to the tectonic plates drifting apart?
The intensity of the swarm could suggest that the area is undergoing changes, with new fracture zones being created or changes in geothermal activity. The ocean floor in the Tjörnes fracture zone off the north coast of Iceland is high in geothermal activity. A third possible explanation might be volcanic activity. The area has seen several eruptions in the past centuries.
Area known for high seismic activity
The Tjörnes rift zone is part of the North Atlantic Ridge and is known for high geothermal activity and regular and significant seismic activity, caused by energy being released as the tectonic plates drift in opposite directions from one another.
Grímsey is a small island with a surface area of just 5.3 km2 (2 sq miles). It is the northernmost settlement in Iceland, located 40 km (25 miles) off the north coast of Iceland, and is home to a population of some 90 people.
Inhabitants of Grímsey island, Iceland's northernmost point and most remote settlement are beginning to get concerned over the intense earthquake swarms which has been shaking the island since early this week. The seismic monitoring system of the Icelandic Meteorological Office has detected nearly 600 tremors in the past 48 hours. The latest swarm began late afternoon yesterday and shows no sign of dying down. The small island has seen repeated earthquake swarms since late January.
Read more: Why the constant earthquakes? Iceland is slowly being torn apart
Grímsey island is located on the Tjörnes fracture zone, an area known for high levels of geological and seismic activity. The tremors have not been accompanied by an elevated level of volcanic activity.
500+ quakes in just 48 hours
Most of the tremors have been relatively small, but the swarm has included three magnitude 3+ quakes and 66 2-3 magnitude quakes. The epicenters of the quakes have been just 10 km (6.2 mi) to the north-east of the island. A Grímsey resident told the National Broadcasting Service that the smaller quakes go unnoticed, but that any tremor larger than 2.5 on the Richter scale can be felt quite easily in the small settlement.
The seismic activity in Grímsey is concentrated along a rather narrow area north-east of the island. The epicenter is a submarine rift valley. A seismologist with the Icelandic Meteorological Office told the local newspaper Morgunblaðið that the there are a number of known rifts in the area where the earth's crust is pulled apart by the movement of the tectonic plates. The movement of the plates creates energy which is then released in earthquake swarms.
Read more: How fast is Iceland growing due to the tectonic plates drifting apart?
The intensity of the swarm could suggest that the area is undergoing changes, with new fracture zones being created or changes in geothermal activity. The ocean floor in the Tjörnes fracture zone off the north coast of Iceland is high in geothermal activity. A third possible explanation might be volcanic activity. The area has seen several eruptions in the past centuries.
Area known for high seismic activity
The Tjörnes rift zone is part of the North Atlantic Ridge and is known for high geothermal activity and regular and significant seismic activity, caused by energy being released as the tectonic plates drift in opposite directions from one another.
Grímsey is a small island with a surface area of just 5.3 km2 (2 sq miles). It is the northernmost settlement in Iceland, located 40 km (25 miles) off the north coast of Iceland, and is home to a population of some 90 people.
