A sharp earthquake swarm hit Grímsey Island over the weekend. Grímsey Island, which straddles the Arctic Circle, is the northernmost settlement in Iceland, home to 90 inhabitants.
The people of Grímsey woke on Saturday morning to a sharp 4.1 magnitude quake at ten minutes to eight on Sunday morning. A second 3.4 magnitude quake hit at 8:11. The seismic monitoring system of the Icelandic Meteorological office shows that the swarm, which now counts more than 170 separate quakes, including two quakes larger than 3 on the Richter scale.
Read more: Why the constant earthquakes? Iceland is slowly being torn apart
The activity appears to have slowed down since yesterday.
An earthquake swarm shakes isolated island
Most of the seismic activity has been clustered around the island at a significant depth. The largest, 4.1 magnitude quake, had an epicenter 16.2 km (10 mi) north-northeast of Grímsey at a depth of 13.8 km (8.6 mi). The quakes have been along the Tjörnesbrotabelti, or Tjörnes rift zone.
In Iceland earthquakes closer to the surface are more common in volcanic systems, caused by the movement of magma, while deeper quakes are more common in fracture zones, caused by the release of energy caused by the movement of the tectonic plates.
An area known for high seismic activity
The island of Grímsey lies on the Tjörnes rift zone. The area 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 itself is a small island with a surface area of the island is 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 one of the northernmost parts of Iceland, straddling the Arctic Circle. The island, which has a population of some 90 people, is connected to the mainland by a ferry and air. Grímsey also has large colonies of sea birds, including Puffins.
A sharp earthquake swarm hit Grímsey Island over the weekend. Grímsey Island, which straddles the Arctic Circle, is the northernmost settlement in Iceland, home to 90 inhabitants.
The people of Grímsey woke on Saturday morning to a sharp 4.1 magnitude quake at ten minutes to eight on Sunday morning. A second 3.4 magnitude quake hit at 8:11. The seismic monitoring system of the Icelandic Meteorological office shows that the swarm, which now counts more than 170 separate quakes, including two quakes larger than 3 on the Richter scale.
Read more: Why the constant earthquakes? Iceland is slowly being torn apart
The activity appears to have slowed down since yesterday.
An earthquake swarm shakes isolated island
Most of the seismic activity has been clustered around the island at a significant depth. The largest, 4.1 magnitude quake, had an epicenter 16.2 km (10 mi) north-northeast of Grímsey at a depth of 13.8 km (8.6 mi). The quakes have been along the Tjörnesbrotabelti, or Tjörnes rift zone.
In Iceland earthquakes closer to the surface are more common in volcanic systems, caused by the movement of magma, while deeper quakes are more common in fracture zones, caused by the release of energy caused by the movement of the tectonic plates.
An area known for high seismic activity
The island of Grímsey lies on the Tjörnes rift zone. The area 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 itself is a small island with a surface area of the island is 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 one of the northernmost parts of Iceland, straddling the Arctic Circle. The island, which has a population of some 90 people, is connected to the mainland by a ferry and air. Grímsey also has large colonies of sea birds, including Puffins.
