Earthquake swarm in Reykjanes

Travellers and hikers are asked to be aware of the risk of rock falling and landslides

01.08.2022

Mt. Keilir og Keilisbörn. Picture by Snorri

A robust seismic swarm is ongoing just northeast of Fagradalsfjall in Reykjanes. The activity started around noon Saturday (July 30) and since then over 4000 earthquakes have been recorded on the IMO's automatic system. Events are mainly located at 2-4 km depth and several events above magnitude 4 have been found. This can cause the ground and rocks to move around with no notice and landslides to form out of nowhere especially where there are steep hills and sea cliffs. Travellers and hikers are advised to travel with caution and be extremely careful in the area.

News articles in English:

- 30.07.2022 - Reykjanes peninsula on alert because of a series of earthquakes (Iceland Monitor)

- 31.07.2022 - Magma close to the surface on Reykjanes peninsula (RÚV)

- 01.08.2022 - "Quakes caused by magma intrusion" (RÚV)

- 01.08.2022 - Over ten thousand earthquakes detected over the weekend (Iceland Monitor)