Two strong earthquakes hit the north of the country yesterday. The first one was recorded at 2:52 pm and had a strength of 4.6 on the Richter scale. It was followed by another shock with a strength of 4.0 at 5:07 pm. The source of both earthquakes was almost 6 km southeast of Flatey Island, in Skjálfandi Bay. Both quakes were felt by people in the north of Iceland, especially in Húsavík and Akureyri. According to the media, many people were surprised by the stronger of them.
Kristján Þór Magnúson, director of the local council in Norðurþing, was at a grocery store in Húsavík when the earthquake struck. “I was picking up lunch … and holding the refrigerator door when I felt the first shock.” spoke in an interview with journalists of the K100 radio.
“I have to admit I was surprised, shocked and didn’t know what happened or if the door would hit me in the face” tells. “It happened suddenly, and it didn’t take long. It was a very unpleasant experience. People may not be afraid of it, but it was a very unpleasant experience for everyone. “
Kristján does not expect any serious damage from the quake, but that will still be assessed.
Northern Iceland has experienced a lot of seismic activity in recent weeks. “From time to time we felt a series of shocks that occur in the north of the country” says Kristján, “But they had an epicenter deeper than we felt now. The quake was unbelievably close and we hope a major quake won’t come soon “ states.
Einar Hjörleifsson, an expert on natural hazards at the Icelandic Meteorological Bureau does not rule out that the area will be hit by another major earthquake – larger than the previous one or of a similar magnitude.
Source: Yle