Eruption started in Sundhnúkagígar area í Svartsengi volcano. The start of eruption seems to have been at 12:47 UTC or around that minute. The fissure is getting longer as this article is being written.
![The fissure and the eruption column in red and orange colour. A large gas cloud drifts to the east from the eruption.](https://icelandgeology.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Eldgos-THorbjorn-svd-29.05.2024-at-1258utc-1024x576.png)
Volcano and earthquake activity in Iceland
Eruption is about to start in Svartsengi volcano in Sundhnúkagígar area. This is unlikely to be a dyke intrusion event only. I’ll post update once the eruption has started.
This is a short update on the eruption in Sundhnúkagígar in Svartsengi volcano.
This is all for now. Next update is going to be when something new happens. If this eruption is going to last for a long time. I’ll post regular updates on it. But for now, this eruption is just going to continue as is now doing.
This is a short update since there has not been a lot of change in the last twenty four hours.
The eruption is stable at the writing of this article. This might change without warning.
If there is a change in the eruption. I’ll write about it quickly as I can. Next article should be by 21. March 2024 if the eruption is still ongoing by that date.
This is a short update because I don’t expect a lot to happen in this eruption.
Here are the main details as they are known on 17. March 2024 at 18:28 UTC. This is the best information I have at current time.
If anything more happens I’ll post update soon as I can. Normally, an eruption from Svartsengi volcano only last around 1 day. If this eruption goes longer, then next update should be tomorrow or sooner if anything important happens.
Yesterday (02. March 2024) at 15:57 UTC an earthquake swarm started in Sundhnúkagígar, all earthquakes where small in magnitude and around 150 where recorded. This earthquake swarm was as sign of a dyke intrusion that was starting into Sundhnúkagígar. It did not result in a eruption, but might be a sign of where next eruption is going to happen, when it happens. The dyke intrusion ended around 17:57 UTC.
This is a bit early, but it seems that this dyke intrusion moved or changed the rift valley it happened in. This rift valley was created in the dyke intrusion on 10. November 2023 (Icelandic Met Office has a image of it here). It might also have moved the rift valley that was created on 14. January 2024 (image of that rift valley can be found here, its marked with a blue colour). This rift valley situation is making the geology in this area extremely complex and volatile. Since the crust, the top layer is extremely fractured in areas of the rift valley and that makes it easy for the magma to find a path to the surface.
It is impossible to know when next eruption is going to happen. But it is my own estimated that next eruption might happen between 3. March to 5. March. I might be wrong on this, that’s always an possibility.
I am sorry for slow updates. All this activity and eruptions keeps me busy with many things. I also needed a little break from writing articles.
According to Icelandic Met Office and what I’ve been seeing on GPS data from around Svartsengi volcano an eruption is expected possibly next week, it might happen earlier or later, there’s no way to be sure on this. But the inflation has reached the same level just before the eruption on 8. February 2024. What is going to happen in next eruption is impossible to know, until the eruption starts. There is ongoing risk that next eruption is going to happen closer to Grindavík town and not in Sundahnúkagígar area as the eruption on 8. February 2024 took place.
At the current rate, there’s going to be an eruption in Sundhnúkagígar area every 30 or so days until something changes. When that happens is impossible to know. This 30 day eruption cycle might go on for a long time, even many years.
This is a short update on the eruption at Sundhnúkagígar.
If anything more happens. I’ll post update soon as I can.
This morning (08. February 2024) at 06:02 UTC an eruption started close to Sundhnúkagígar, close to the area where the eruption started on 18. December 2023. The eruption fissure is at the writing of this around 3 km long, but the fissure is getting longer, based on views from web cameras.
This eruption is at favourable location. Since its far way at the moment from all buildings and infrastructure. That might change if the fissure stretches more to the south. This eruption started really quickly, according to Rúv, from the start of the earthquake swarm until the eruption started the time was only about 30 minutes. The time this took on 18. December 2023 was 60 minutes.
I’ll post more information later today when it is clear how this eruption is progressing.