Skjálftasetur Earthquake Centre

At The Earthquake Centre in Kópasker one can find installations and photographs on seismic activity around the world, aswell as in depth information about the region’s unusual geography. Emphasis is set on the tectonic activity in the ’70s and ’80s which resulted in an earthquake in Kópasker but also the volcanic eruptions at Lake Mývatn.

In 1976 there was an earthquake 12km off the coast of Kópasker in Northeastern Iceland. The earthquake caused large-scale damage to buildings in the village and part of the land nearby gave way to create two new lakes.

This was one of many events in the following decade which were symptomatic of heightened seismicity in the region. Most famously, in nearby Lake Mývatn there were a series of volcanic eruptions along a fissure, now commonly known as the Krafla Fires.