Guide de Voyage : Hveragerði Earthquake Exhibition

Hveragerði entrance from Route 1. Photo: Debivort, CC BY-SA 3.0

The Hveragerði Earthquake Exhibition, called Skjálftinn 2008 ("The Quake 2008") in Icelandic, is a small free exhibition inside the Sunnumörk shopping centre at the entrance to Hveragerði, 45 km east of Reykjavík on the Ring Road.

It tells the story of the magnitude 6.3 earthquake that hit the town on 29 May 2008, lets you stand in a simulator that shakes like the real thing, and shows a genuine fault line running under the building's floor.

Key Takeaways About Skjálftinn 2008

• Free exhibition about the magnitude 6.3 earthquake of 29 May 2008, inside the Sunnumörk shopping centre at the entrance to Hveragerði.
• An earthquake simulator (small fee) reproduces shaking of more than magnitude 6; a real tectonic fissure found in 2003 is lit under the floor.
• 45 km (about 40–45 minutes) east of Reykjavík on Route 1; large car park; Strætó routes 51 and 52 stop in town.
• Open year round, listed hours 8:00 to 18:00 (check before visiting); allow 20 to 40 minutes.
• Tourist information office, bakery and shops are in the same building.

Why visit the Hveragerði Earthquake Exhibition

Hveragerði sits on the South Iceland Seismic Zone, a transform zone where the North American and Eurasian plates slide past each other, next to the Hengill volcanic area that heats the town's hot springs and greenhouses.

At 15:45 on 29 May 2008 a shallow earthquake struck between Hveragerði and Selfoss.

It was recorded at magnitude 6.3; seismologists later described it as a doublet, two closely spaced quakes of about 5.9 and 5.8, and the strongest in Iceland since the South Iceland earthquakes of June 2000.

About 30 people were injured, nobody died, but many homes and their contents were damaged and the shaking in Hveragerði and Selfoss, the towns nearest the epicentre, was severe.

The exhibition explains what happened and why, with testimonies from residents, photographs they took that afternoon, information about the damage to houses and their contents, and, most memorable of all, security-camera footage from shops in the town showing shelves emptying onto the floor as the quake hits.

Data and explanations come from the Earthquake Engineering Research Centre of the University of Iceland.

Two things set the exhibition apart from a wall of panels. The first is the earthquake simulator, a small room that reproduces shaking of more than magnitude 6 so you can feel for a few seconds what the town felt.

The second is the floor: when the shopping centre was built in 2003, workers uncovered a tectonic fissure crossing the site.

Instead of covering it, the builders left it open and lit it, so you can look down into a crack in the earth's crust in the middle of a shopping arcade.

It is a short visit, 20 to 40 minutes, but a vivid one, and useful context before you walk up to the hot river in Reykjadalur or through the geothermal park in town.

How to get to the Hveragerði Earthquake Exhibition

Hveragerði is on Route 1, about 45 km (40 to 45 minutes) east of Reykjavík over the Hellisheiði plateau. Coming down the hill into town, take the exit into Hveragerði; the Sunnumörk shopping centre (Sunnumörk 2) is at the entrance to town beside the main road, next to the petrol station.

The exhibition is inside the arcade, alongside the tourist information office. There is a large car park in front. Selfoss is 13 km further east. Strætó routes 51 and 52 between Reykjavík and Selfoss stop in Hveragerði, a short walk away.

Best time to visit

The exhibition is indoors and open year round, so it works as a rainy-day stop or a break on the drive to the South Coast or the Golden Circle. The municipality lists it as open 8:00 to 18:00 (check current hours before a special trip); arrive well before closing if you want to try the simulator.

Safety and practical tips

• Entry to the exhibition is free. There is a charge for the simulator.
• The simulator is a real shaking platform. Skip it if you are pregnant, have heart or back problems, or are travelling with very young children, and hold the rail.
• The tourist information office, a bakery and shops are in the same building.
• The lit fault line is part of the exhibition inside the arcade; take a moment to look down into it.
• For opening hours or group visits, contact the Hveragerði tourist information office at tourinfo@hveragerdi.is.
• Large earthquakes recur in the South Iceland Seismic Zone; the previous ones before 2008 were in June 2000.