Quake swarm continues stress release on Reykjanes Ridge

A swarm of nearly 50 earthquakes has struck the Reykjanes Ridge, mbl.is reported, with the largest measuring 3.2 and 3.1. The activity began at around 9 p.m. on Tuesday, about 50 kilometres southwest of Eldey.

The earthquakes have occurred intermittently. Steinunn Helgadóttir, a natural hazards specialist at the Icelandic Meteorological Office, said such activity was common in the area and represented ongoing stress release along the ridge.

A similar swarm occurred there on July 25.

Deformation measurements continue to show land uplift in the Svartsengi area. As long as the uplift continues, the most likely scenario remains a magma intrusion from Svartsengi towards the Sundhnúksgígar crater row, which could lead to an eruption.

Steinunn said there was nothing to indicate that the earthquake swarm had changed the scenarios concerning a possible eruption.