Where did earthquakes occur in Iceland?

Most of these earthquakes were felt in the surrounding area, such as Akureyri and Húsavík in the North, and the capital city of Reykjavík in the South. The largest earthquake of these swarms was a 5.8 magnitude earthquake that originated in the ocean between the northern town of Siglufjörður and Grímsey Island.

How strong was Iceland's earthquake swarm?

The shaking was strongly felt all the way to the capital Reykjavik. More than 20.000 earthquakes have been recorded with the Icelandic Meteorological Office’s automatic seismic measuring system two weeks after the start of the earthquake swarm. The initial swarm had strong magnitude earthquakes spread out, focused into two clusters.

How many earthquakes have happened in Reykjanes?

The mountain sits atop a volcanic system where two eruptions have occurred in the past two years on the Reykjanes Peninsula- Iceland's southwestern tip. "Around 2,200 earthquakes have been detected and the largest earthquakes have been felt in the Southwest part of Iceland," the agency said. More seismic activity was likely, it added.

Can a building withstand an earthquake in Iceland?

According to building regulations, Icelandic buildings must be able to withstand an earthquake with a minimum magnitude of 7.0. Scientists believe that because the tectonic plates in Iceland are moving away from each other, the chances of a much larger than a 7.0 earthquake are minimal.