Seismic Stirring: The Looming Eruption between Fagradalsfjall and Keilir - Unearthing Mother Nature'

Data collected from the Icelandic Met Office.

The Icelandic Met Office recently reported that the ongoing seismic activities in the region between Fagradalsfjall and Keilir, which commenced on July 4th, have led to the recording of approximately 7,000 tremors. Of these, around 300 have registered a magnitude above 3.

This area continues to experience numerous micro-earthquakes, a significant indication of land deformation. Despite the decrease in seismic activities, it appears that the magma is gradually approaching the surface.

According to the University of Iceland's Institute of Earth Sciences, specializing in volcanology and natural hazards, current data strongly suggest an impending volcanic eruption in the region between Fagradalsfjall and Keilir.

A wave interference image (COSMO-SkyMed) spanning 28 June to 6 July 2023 illustrates deformation due to the magma intrusion at Mount Fagradalsfjall Volcano

Should an eruption occur, it's predicted to resemble the eruption witnessed in 2022 in terms of its intensity and the nature of the magma.

The Environment Agency of Iceland, on July 7th, reiterated the prohibition of off-road driving in the area, as dictated by conservation laws. This restriction excludes activities related to search and rescue operations, police tasks, and research conducted by authorized institutions.

A warning message from the National Civil Protection Agency was sent to both residents and tourists. It advised: “Reykjanes peninsula – earthquakes! Increased seismic activity in the area. Stay away from slopes and cliffs due to danger of rockfall and landslides. A volcanic eruption might start with short notice.”

"As Europe's most extensive and active volcanic epicenter, Iceland sits astride the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a meeting point for the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates. On July 7, Iceland's Met Office issued two briefings detailing seismic activities for the day and chronicling the over 7,000 tremors registered since July 4.

The source of earthquakes (circles) at Fagradalsfjall from 30 July 2022 to 5 July 2023. Red herrings belong to the ongoing earthquake swarm and blue circles to the swarm that occurred in July-August 2022. The orange bar shows the vertical projection of the tunnel insert that occurred in 2022. The map shows checked earthquakes and magnitudes for earthquakes larger than 1, and the magnitude of the rings is proportional to the magnitude of the earthquakes.

A seismic activity chain was initiated just before midnight on July 6, in proximity to Eldey Island on the Reykjanes Ridge, roughly 10 km southwest of the Reykjanes peninsula.

Up until 3:00 PM on July 7, over 480 tremors were recorded in the area. Of these, 38 earthquakes were manually assessed and verified.

Ten quakes surpassed a magnitude of 3, with six exceeding a magnitude of 4. The largest quake, clocking in at a magnitude of 4.5, was detected at 5:06 AM."