Sixty earthquakes detected near Raufarhólshellir in Ölfus, Iceland

In the last twelve hours, approximately sixty earthquakes have been detected near Raufarhólshellir in the Leitarhraun area of Ölfus. Bjarki Kaldalóns Friis, a geophysicist at the Icelandic Meteorological Office, describes the seismic activity as a minor swarm, which is common in this region. He attributes the earthquakes to the release of stress in the Earth’s crust rather than magma accumulation beneath Svartsengi. The activity peaked around midday yesterday, with most of the earthquakes being relatively small in magnitude. The largest recorded quake reached a magnitude of 2.1 just before 4 PM yesterday.

Raufarhólshellir, notable for being one of the longest caves in Iceland, continues to be monitored, though the current geological changes are not viewed as alarming. Local authorities and experts remain vigilant as they assess the ongoing seismic activity.