Category: Bárðarbunga

Posted on

Bárðarbunga volcano strongest earthquake swarm since year 2014

Yesterday (13. June 2026) at 20:14 UTC an earthquake with a magnitude Mw4,8 took place in Bárðarbunga volcano. This earthquake started an earthquake swarm in Bárðarbunga volcano that lasted until around 05:00 UTC before it did quiet down. Around 400 earthquakes where recorded in this earthquake swarm before it stopped. Total of six earthquakes with magnitude over Mw3,0 took place in this earthquake swarm.

Green stars in the centre of Bárðarbunga volcano, surrounded by red dots showing smaller earthquakes.
Earthquake activity in Bárðarbunga volcano during the night. Copyright of this image belongs to Icelandic Met Office.

The source of this earthquake swarm is movement of magma in Bárðarbunga volcano. This time, it did stop and not result in a eruption. An earthquake swarm of similar nature took place in Bárðarbunga volcano last year. Its is a possibility that this earthquake activity is not over, even if nothing has happened for more than 12 hours at the writing of this article. The source of this is magma and it is impossible to know what happens next. Bárðarbunga volcano has been inflating since end of the eruption in 2015. After it collapsed in that same eruption, during a caldera collapse event and lowered about 60 meters. Last inflation number suggested that it has inflated about 30 meters from lowest point.

If anything more happens. I am going to write a new article about what happens.

Posted on

A magnitude Mw5,3 earthquake in Bárðarbunga volcano

Today (31-January 2026) at 11:54 UTC an earthquake with the magnitude of Mw5,3 took place in Bárðarbunga volcano. This earthquake was not felt in populated areas. This earthquake is part of the inflation process in Bárðarbunga volcano. This process has been going on since the eruption in Bárðarbunga volcano ended on 28-February 2015.

Green star and red and orange dots showing smaller earthquake in left side of this image in Bárðarbunga volcano. That is north side of Vatnajökull glacier.
Earthquake activity in Bárðarbunga volcano. Copyright of this image belongs to Icelandic Met Office.

This strong earthquake activity in Bárðarbunga volcano is going to continue until maximum inflation is reached or until next eruption start. Whatever comes first. Then this cycle is going to restart in some form once a eruption has happened. If maximum inflation is reached, then this type of earthquake activity is going to stop. Based on current data, it is going to take several decades until that happens.

Posted on

Magnitude Mw5,4 earthquake in Bárðarbunga volcano

Today (29-October 2025) at 16:46 UTC an strong earthquake took place in Bárðarbunga volcano. This earthquake had a magnitude of Mw5,4. It was not felt according to news. This earthquake is the result of inflation that is happening in Bárðarbunga volcano and has been since its eruption ended in the year 2015.

Green star in Bárðarbunga volcano, located in northern part of Vatnajökull glacier. A lot of red dots showing smaller earthquake activity.
Green star showing the earthquake activity in Bárðarbunga volcano. Copyright of this image belongs to Icelandic Met Office.

There was some aftershock activity, but it has been minimal. Currently there are no signs of an eruption is about to start in Bárðarbunga volcano.

Posted on

Strong earthquake in Bárðarbunga volcano on 27-July 2025

On the 27-July 2025 at 23:39 UTC an earthquake with magnitude of Mw5,2 took place in Bárðarbunga volcano. A second earthquake with magnitude of Mw3,1 took place at 23:41 UTC. That second earthquake is embedded into the first earthquake and that makes it impossible to see it in earthquake data without good analyse. The largest earthquake was felt in Akureyri, far north of Bárðarbunga volcano.

Two green stars in Bárðarbunga volcano. The northern green star is the larger earthquake with magnitude of Mw5.2.
The earthquake activity in Bárðarbunga volcano. Copyright of this image belongs to Icelandic Office.

This is normal earthquake activity as Bárðarbunga volcano continues to inflate. This large earthquake happen every few month in Bárðarbunga volcano.

Posted on

Magnitude Mw4,8 to Mw5,3 earthquake in Bárðarbunga volcano

Today (5-May 2025) at 21:14 UTC an earthquake with magnitude of Mw4,8 to Mw5,3 took place in Bárðarbunga volcano. The difference in magnitude is between Icelandic Met Office (Mw4,8), EMSC (Mw5,1) and USGS (Mw5,3). I do not know why this difference is.

Two green stars and red dots showing the earthquake activity in Bárðarbunga volcano in last few hours.
Green stars and red dots show the earthquake activity in Bárðarbunga volcano. Copyright of this image belongs of Icelandic Met Office.

This earthquake activity is because if inflation of Bárðarbunga volcano that has been going on since the eruption ended in Bárðarbunga volcano on 27-February 2015. This type of earthquake activity should be expected every few months in Bárðarbunga volcano.

Posted on

Strong earthquake swarm in Bárðarbunga volcano

This evening on 22-February 2025 at 21:04 UTC an earthquake with magnitude of Mw5,2 took place in Bárðarbunga volcano. This has been followed by several smaller earthquakes and this earthquake swarm seems to be ongoing.

Green stars and red dots in Bárðarbunga volcano that is located to the west part of this image, not far from the center in Vatnajökull glacier. Other parts of this image show other volcanoes with limited earthquake activity.
Earthquake activity in Bárðarbunga volcano. Copyright of this image belongs to Icelandic Met Office.

This earthquake activity is possibly magma trying to find a path to the surface. If it is going to be successful now is another story. It is possible for the magma to fail this. It is difficult to know how this is going to evolve and progress in Bárðarbunga volcano. However, it is clear that for now, no eruption is imminent.

Posted on

Dyke intrusion into Bárðarbunga volcano

Today (14-January 2025) at 06:08 UTC an dyke intrusion started in Bárðarbunga volcano. This dyke intrusion lasted until around 09:00 UTC and might still not be over, even if the activity has stopped at the writing of this article. Largest earthquakes had the magnitude of Mw5,2 (USGS, EMSC). More than a dozen earthquakes with magnitude from Mw3,0 to Mw5,0 took place in this earthquake swarm.

Row of green stars in Bárðarbunga volcano caldera. Few small earthquakes are in Grímfjall volcano, an activity unrelated to this activity in Bárðarbunga volcano.
The earthquake activity in Bárðarbunga volcano. Copyright of this image belongs to Icelandic Met Office.

The main activity was in the western part of the caldera. According to the experts, this earthquake swarm looks close to what happened in Bárðarbunga volcano before it erupted in Gjálp (Wikipedia, Icelandic) in the year 1996. Then a earthquake swarm started like this, slowed down for few days before it increased again and the eruption happened. It is unclear what direction the dyke might move to, but most likely is south-west in the direction of Torfajökull volcano and Katla volcano. If that happens, such dyke activity might get those volcanoes upset or start and eruption in them.

I am going to post update as needed for Bárðarbunga volcano as this activity continues.

Posted on

Magnitude Mw5,2 earthquake in Bárðarbunga volcano

During the night of 8-December 2024 at 01:49 UTC an earthquake with magnitude of Mw5,2 took place in Bárðarbunga volcano. This is a inflation related earthquake, as Bárðarbunga volcano continues to inflate from the collapse during the 2014 and 2015 eruption.

Green star in Bárðarbunga volcano, showing the largest earthquake. With lot of smaller dots in the caldera.
The earthquake activity in Bárðarbunga volcano. Copyright of this image belongs to Icelandic Met Office.

A lot of smaller earthquakes also happened before and after the main earthquake. This is not unusual, there are just more of them now. Why that happened is not clear. This is an ongoing earthquake activity in Bárðarbunga and is going last for the next 30 to 90 years in the longest. Depending on how this evolve in Bárðarbunga volcano.

Posted on

Large earthquake in Bárðarbunga volcano

Today (06-October-2024) at 17:56 UTC an earthquake with magnitude Mw4,5 to Mw5,1 took place in Bárðarbunga volcano. Icelandic Met Office reported this earthquake as Mw4,5 and EMSC reported this earthquake as Mw5,0. USGS reported this earthquake as Mw5,1. Yesterday (05-October 2024) two magnitude Mw3,7 and Mw3,9 earthquakes took place in Bárðarbunga volcano.

Four green stars in Bárðarbunga volcano. One to the north-east and the other to the south-west. There are few other points on the map, showing smaller earthquakes.
Earthquake activity in Bárðarbungna volcano. Copyright of this image belongs to Icelandic Met Office.

This earthquake activity in Bárðarbunga volcano happens because of inflation that is now happening in Bárðarbunga volcano. This inflation is going to take decades to complete and in that time, this type of earthquake activity is going to be frequent with several magnitude Mw5,0 earthquake over the year, but fewer as the time goes on from last eruption (ended in February 2015). After 10 to 30 years, there is only going to be one magnitude Mw5,0 earthquake larger every few years.

Posted on

Earthquake with magnitude Mw5,0 in Bárðarbunga volcano

Today (3-September 2024) at 16:31 UTC an earthquake with magnitude of Mw5,0 took place in Bárðarbunga volcano. This was followed by few smaller earthquakes and there has been increased minor earthquake activity in Bárðarbunga volcano in recent days.

Green star in the east part of Bárðarbunga volcano in Vatnajökull glacier. Along with few dots that are orange in colour and mark the locations of smaller earthquakes.
Earthquake activity in Bárðarbunga volcano. Copyright of this image belongs to Icelandic Met Office.

This size of earthquake is going to happen in Bárðarbunga volcano at least once to twice a year for the next 40 to 60 years. I am not expecting an eruption in Bárðarbunga volcano until at least 2120 and no earlier then the year 2090. Until then, its going to be decades of earthquake activity like this one.