Grindavík—Where is Grindavík?
- Gunnsi and Tyffi
- Sep 19
- 2 min read
Grindavík has been frequently on the news the past few years because of the earthquakes and eruptions in the area. But where is it? You can actually find Grindavík now in three places in the world!
In Iceland on the southern part of the Reykjanes peninsula.
As a crater on Mars!
An asteroid in the asteroid belt between Jupiter and Mars!
Grindavík town in Iceland:
From Wikipedia: The earthquake series became powerful and regular from 2021 when the Fagradalsfjall fires erupted. The town was evacuated after severe earthquakes on the evening of November 10, 2023. A magma chamber had formed at a relatively shallow depth under the town, and a volcanic eruption was feared. A short but powerful eruption occurred on December 18, about 3 kilometers from the town. On January 10, 2024, a man died when he fell into a crevice in the town. His body was not found. On January 13, 2024, it was decided to close the town completely. The eruption began again on January 14, 2024, reaching Grindavík, with lava overflowing three houses.
The 2023–2024 earthquakes caused total damage to 74 houses in the town.
Grindavík crater on Mars:
From Wikipedia: Grindavik is an impact crater in the Oxia Palus quadrangle of Mars, located at 25.39° North and 39.07° West. It is 12 km (7.5 mi) in diameter and was named after Grindavík, a town in Iceland. Impact craters generally have a rim with ejecta around them; in contrast, volcanic craters usually do not have a rim or ejecta deposits. As craters get larger (greater than 10 km or 6.2 mi in diameter), they usually have a central peak. The peak is caused by a rebound of the crater floor following the impact.
Grindavík Asteroid:
From icelandatnight: The asteroid was discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey project in Arizona in the United States on October 29, 1999. Then it received the provisional designation 1999 UY8.
A German geology enthusiast, Daniel Bamberger, suggested the name. In an e-mail to Iceland at Night, Daniel said:
With the help of my friends at the Catalina Sky Survey in Arizona, I recently proposed to the International Astronomical Union (IAU) that an asteroid be named after the town of Grindavík. I'm excited to share that my proposal was accepted, and that the naming of asteroid 24090 Grindavík was officially announced today!
"I chose this specific asteroid from the many minor planets discovered at Catalina for three reasons that tie it to the subject:
It belongs to the Vesta family. Those are fragments of the large asteroid Vesta, whose composition closely matches that of terrestrial igneous rocks.
Its number, which starts with 240, is a nod to Grindavík’s postal code.
It regularly becomes bright enough to be photographed with small telescopes. This makes it accessible to amateur astronomers.
Grindavík orbits the Sun once every 3.57 years. The orbit is inclined by 5 degrees relative to the ecliptic.
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