2008 Iceland earthquake
Encyclopedia
The 2008 Iceland earthquake, magnitude
6.3, struck on May 29, 2008 at 15:46 UTC. There were no human fatalities, but 30 injuries were reported and a number of sheep were killed. The epicenter of the earthquake was between the towns of Hveragerði
and Selfoss
, about 45 kilometres (28 mi) east-southeast of the capital, Reykjavík
. It was the strongest earthquake to hit Iceland since the summer of 2000
.
where the Eurasian and North-American tectonic plates move away from each other. Volcanic
activity is common along such divergent boundaries
but strong earthquakes are rare. In Iceland the ridge is somewhat off-set, creating two transform fault
s where plates move horizontally along each other. One is in the north of the country and one in the south, the strongest Icelandic earthquakes happen along those transform faults. The 29 May quakes are classified by geologists as typical Suðurlandsskjálftar (literally: Southern Iceland quakes) which happen on the southern fault.
and Hveragerði
as well as Eyrarbakki
, Stokkseyri
and Þorlákshöfn
. Many farms were also affected.
Moment magnitude scale
The moment magnitude scale is used by seismologists to measure the size of earthquakes in terms of the energy released. The magnitude is based on the seismic moment of the earthquake, which is equal to the rigidity of the Earth multiplied by the average amount of slip on the fault and the size of...
6.3, struck on May 29, 2008 at 15:46 UTC. There were no human fatalities, but 30 injuries were reported and a number of sheep were killed. The epicenter of the earthquake was between the towns of Hveragerði
Hveragerði
Hveragerði is a town and municipality in the south of Iceland located 45 km to the east of Reykjavík on Iceland's main ringroad, Route 1.The river Varmá runs through the town. The population was 2,316 on 1 January 2011.-Overview:...
and Selfoss
Selfoss (town)
Selfoss is a town in southern Iceland on the banks of Ölfusá river.It is part, and seat, of the municipality Árborg. The Ring Road runs through the town on its way between Hveragerði and Hella...
, about 45 kilometres (28 mi) east-southeast of the capital, Reykjavík
Reykjavík
Reykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...
. It was the strongest earthquake to hit Iceland since the summer of 2000
2000 Iceland earthquakes
The 2000 Iceland earthquakes struck southern Iceland on June 17 and 21, 2000. There were no fatalities but a few people were injured and there was some considerable damage to infrastructure.- External links :*...
.
Characteristics
Iceland straddles the mid-Atlantic ridgeMid-Atlantic Ridge
The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is a mid-ocean ridge, a divergent tectonic plate boundary located along the floor of the Atlantic Ocean, and part of the longest mountain range in the world. It separates the Eurasian Plate and North American Plate in the North Atlantic, and the African Plate from the South...
where the Eurasian and North-American tectonic plates move away from each other. Volcanic
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
activity is common along such divergent boundaries
Divergent boundary
In plate tectonics, a divergent boundary or divergent plate boundary is a linear feature that exists between two tectonic plates that are moving away from each other. Divergent boundaries within continents initially produce rifts which produce rift valleys...
but strong earthquakes are rare. In Iceland the ridge is somewhat off-set, creating two transform fault
Transform fault
A transform fault or transform boundary, also known as conservative plate boundary since these faults neither create nor destroy lithosphere, is a type of fault whose relative motion is predominantly horizontal in either sinistral or dextral direction. Furthermore, transform faults end abruptly...
s where plates move horizontally along each other. One is in the north of the country and one in the south, the strongest Icelandic earthquakes happen along those transform faults. The 29 May quakes are classified by geologists as typical Suðurlandsskjálftar (literally: Southern Iceland quakes) which happen on the southern fault.
Damage
Unlike the quakes in the summer of 2000, the 29 May quake happened in the most densely populated part of the South Iceland district. The population of the affected area is about 12,000 and it includes the towns of SelfossSelfoss
Selfoss can mean either of the following locations in Iceland:*Selfoss *Selfoss...
and Hveragerði
Hveragerði
Hveragerði is a town and municipality in the south of Iceland located 45 km to the east of Reykjavík on Iceland's main ringroad, Route 1.The river Varmá runs through the town. The population was 2,316 on 1 January 2011.-Overview:...
as well as Eyrarbakki
Eyrarbakki
Eyrarbakki is a fishing-town on the south-coast of Iceland with a population of about 570 people, not including inhabitants of the prison located there...
, Stokkseyri
Stokkseyri
Stokkseyri, a small town in Southern Iceland, with a population of around 445 inhabitants.-Overview:Founded around 900 AD by the settler Hásteinn Atlason...
and Þorlákshöfn
Þorlákshöfn
Þorlákshöfn is a town on the southern coast of Iceland in the Municipality called Ölfus.The town name is named after Þorláki Helga who was bishop at Skálholt...
. Many farms were also affected.