Seismic Activity Decreases on Iceland's Mosfellsheiði Plateau After Over 1,100 Quakes

Seismic activity on the Mosfellsheiði plateau, located west of Húsmúli, Iceland, has notably decreased overnight after registering over 1,100 earthquakes since Sunday morning. The swarm, while intense, has shown signs of subsiding, according to experts at the Icelandic Met Office.

Bjarki Kaldalón Friis, a natural hazard specialist at the Icelandic Met Office, reported that most of the recent tremors were below magnitude 1. The largest quake recorded since Tuesday evening measured 1.6. Earlier on Tuesday, a significant 4.5 magnitude earthquake was felt across the southwestern region, followed by a 3.8 magnitude aftershock.

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The seismic activity has decreased overnight. Most of the earthquakes have measured below one in magnitude, but the largest earthquake since yesterday evening measured 1.6 in magnitude.

While seismic activity lessened on Tuesday morning, it later increased again, a pattern Friis suggests could continue, though he anticipates a general decrease in activity. He emphasized that all recorded earthquakes are linked to a north-south fault near Svínahraun, associated with tectonic plate boundaries.

Crucially, Friis confirmed that there are no indications of volcanic unrest accompanying the seismic swarm. The activity is understood to be purely tectonic, stemming from the movement of the Earth's plates along the fault line. This distinction is important for monitoring potential geological hazards in the region.

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These earthquakes are all on a north-south fault near Svínahraun and are connected to the plate boundaries along the fault. There are no signs of volcanic unrest.