STEM Húsavík offered families a bus tour of Húsavík and the surrounding area yesterday afternoon, to mark the ongoing NorthQuake 2022, an international earthquake conference now being held for the fourth time in Húsavík.
The journey first went north out of town, driving over the moraine that runs around Laugardal, above Traðagerði, and up Húsavíkurfjall to Þeistareykir. At Traðagerði, the group got out and walked up to a gorge that lies there. The gorge is remarkable because a section of it has been displaced by 50 m. Next, we drove through Húsavík, where we learnt that the town's buildings are situated on different ground, which affects how we feel the shaking from earthquakes. The journey finally headed up Grjótáls, where there was a good view of the Húsavík-Flatey Fault.
The final words of the trip concerned prevention at home. To use the words of another tour guide from the trip: "Don't have a heavy object above Grandad's armchair."“
STEM Húsavík received a grant from the Norðurþing arts and culture fund to offer the trip. It was well attended, with around 22 guests taking advantage of this unique opportunity.
The guides were Benedikt Halldórsson, a geotechnical engineer, and Sigurjón Jónsson, a geophysicist.
