Bergsprungur og byggingar á höfuðborgarsvæðinu

Straddling the boundary between two of the major tectonic plates on Earth, Iceland offers unique conditions for engineering structures that require special attention. Urban areas are rapidly expanding into areas where the bedrock is cut by numerous active fractures and faults. The fissure swarm of the Krísuvík volcanic system runs through the outskirts of Reykjavík and other towns of the metropolitan area. Activity of its fractures mostly occurs during magmatic events along the Reykjanes Peninsula oblique rift on a thousand years timescale. Hazard caused by the fractures is mostly twofold: Relative displacement of the walls of the fracture during magmatic intrusion and small relative displacements during the passage of seismic waves from distant earthquakes may damage structures built across them. The risk of structural damage may most likely be reduced considerably by avoiding building structures across the fractures. We suggest a change in building practice in fractures areas to achieve that.