Larger earthquakes than the one that took place near Selfoss, South Iceland during the weekend may happen in the coming days. Sigurdís Björg Jónasdóttir, a specialist at Iceland‘s meteorological office, claims that Friday‘s earthquake might have set off a chain reaction leading to a quake similar in size to the famous Southern region earthquakes. The last such quake happened in May 2008, reaching around 6.0 in Richter scale.
“It could die off now or set off a chain reaction in another area that we don‘t know of”. According to Sigurdís, a number of smaller 3.0 quakes are to be expected in the near future, some of which have already taken place.
Friday‘s quake took place at 9:51 PM, approximately 6 kilometres northeast of Selfoss. It reached 4.1 in Richter, although it was initially reported at 3.4. The aftershocks that followed were weaker, but each one took place closer to Selfoss.
Sigurdís warns that nearby residents ought to secure any loose objects that hang over beds. More information can be found at the Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management‘s website.
