Picture from the Icelandic Met Office: www.vedur.is
By Ari Trausti Guðmundsson
On Saturday 30. July 2022, a strong series of earthquakes commenced in a confined, elongated area northeast of Mt. Fagradalfjall where the Geldingadalir eruption occurred in 2021. In 48 hours over 3.000 quakes have riddled the surrounding environment and the town of Grindavik. Some earthquakes, up to M5.5, have been felt in the entire southwest region of Iceland. The seismic activity is interpreted as a bout of magma intrusions (either dyke(s) or a sill) from an underlying magma reservoir into the crust. The earthquake series is far from over and evident that decreasing depth to the earthquake loci indicates that magma closes in on the surface. The unrest might culminate in a volcanic eruption in the vicinity of Mt. Fagradalsfjall or it may calm down without any surfacing magma.
