Earthquakes and a volcano in Iceland

4.4 magnitude earthquake rattles Scandinavian seabed between Denmark and Sweden

Extinction Protocol,

6 August, 2012

 DENMARK - 

Danish geologists say a 4.4-magnitude quake has rattled the seabed between Denmark and Sweden, causing no damage or casualties. Trine Dahl-Jensen of the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) said Monday’s quake was “pretty strong” by Danish standards. Dahl-Jensen says such quakes happen once or twice a decade.

The epicenter was 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) southeast of the Danish island of Anholt in the Kattegat Sea. Media in Denmark and Sweden reported that residents in the two Scandinavian countries woke up when they felt the earth shake at 0257 GMT (10:57 p.m. EDT Sunday).

–ABC News 

Central California shaken

A magnitude-4.5 earthquake has shaken a rural area of Central California. A U.S. Geological Survey computer-generated report says Monday’s 12:36 a.m. quake was centered 16 miles south-southwest of Coalinga in the San Joaquin Valley and 123 miles southeast of San Jose. A Coalinga police officer says several people have reported feeling the quake but there are no reports of damage.

 

–Sac Bee

Large underwater volcano found off foot of continental shelf of West Iceland?

ICELAND 

A mountain which the Icelandic Marine Research Institute (Hafró) discovered on the ocean floor west off the Snæfellsnes peninsula in West Iceland during an expedition earlier this summer may turn out to be a previously unknown volcano.

“Multi-laser measurements… revealed a large underwater mountain deep off the foot of the continental shelf approximately 120 nautical miles west of Snæfellsnes,” a statement from Hafró reads, according to Fréttablaðið.

The mountain, which is at a depth of 950 to 1,400 meters is around 450 meters high, similar to Ingólfsfjall in south Iceland. However, it extends over 300 square kilometers, which is ten times the square measure of Ingólfsfjall.

The shape of the mountain is very similar to that of table mountains and it appears to be geologically young.

“The analysis of a rock sample from the mountain will determine whether this is the case or whether it is a volcano connected with an old drift belt, which might mean that it is 20 million years old,” the statement continues.

During the expedition multi-laser measurements were made between West Iceland and Greenland to map the shape of the ocean floor in these commonly-used fishing grounds and explore the environment of powerful ocean currents. A total of 9,000 square kilometers were covered during the 11-day expedition.

–Iceland Review