Fagradalsfjall and the surrounding area is considered to be the epicentre of the earthquake swarm that started on the 24th of February 2021. Thousands of earthquakes have been detected in the area during the last weeks. The biggest earthquake measured in the area during this time period was of magnitude 5,7.
The orange and blue icons
You can click each icon to see further information about the magnitude, depth and time of each earthquake.
Earthquakes from magnitude 4-5 are marked with an orange icon
Earthquakes over magnitude 5 are marked with a blue icon
(The data about the location and magnitude of earthquakes is updated daily and comes from the Skjálftalísa website of Veðurstofa Islands (Icelandic MET office)
mt.Fagradalsfjall
Fagradalsfjall is a tuff (Móberg in Icelandic) mountain on Reykjanes peninsula in South West Iceland. The mountain is 385 meter high and is therefore considered to be the highest mountain on Reykjanes peninsula. The mountain is believed to have been formed during the Ice Age and is a result of a volcanic eruption under a glacier.
On the 3rd of may, 1943, an American airplane crashed into mt.Fagradalsfjall, resulting in 14 casualties and 1 survivor. Among the casualties was Frank Maxwell Andrews, a senior officer in the American army. Some sources indicate that he had been selected to be the commander of the invasion of Normandy. There is an interesting video on Youtube that tells this story in detail.
Here you can take a virtual tour around the Reykjanes peninsula.
Nearby places: Sog, Kleifarvatn, Seltún, Krýsuvíkurbjarg, Austurengjahver
Fagradalsfjall er móbergsfjall á Reykjanesskaganum vestanverðum. Það er talið vera vestasti hluti Reykjanesfjallgarðsins, en vestan þess eru stök fell. Fagradalsfjall er aflangt frá austri til vesturs, um 385 metrar á hæð og er þar með hæsta fjall á Reykjanesskaga. Það hefur orðið til á ísöld við gos undir jökli og er smáhraunlag á því ofanverðu, sem gefur til kynna að gosið hafi náð lítið eitt upp úr jöklinum. Fjallið flokkast því sem stapi.
Þann 3. maí 1943 fórst herflugvél Bandaríkjahers á Fagradalsfjalli. Fjórtán manns létust en einn komst lífs af. Meðal hinna látnu var Frank Maxwell Andrews en hann var afar háttsettur í bandarískra hernum og heimildir segja að hann hafi átt að stýra innrásinni í Normandí í Evrópu. Eftirmaður hans í hernum var Eisenhower sem síðar varð forseti Bandaríkjanna. Flugvélin mun hafa ætlað að lenda á flugvellinum í Kaldaðarnesi. Hægt er að sjá áhugavert vídeó um þennan atburð á YouTube.
Useful websites about Earthquakes:
See the website SkjálftaLísa for an interactive map with detailed information about the earthquakes.