Posts

Posted on

Weekly earthquake in Bárðarbunga volcano (12-June-2017)

Today (12-June-2017) a magnitude 3,6 earthquake took place in Bárðarbunga volcano. This earthquake activity is mostly normal for Bárðarbunga volcano, there has been slight increase in earthquake activity in Bárðarbunga volcano during the past few days (minor earthquakes), why that increase is taking place is unclear at the moment. This increased happened at the same time as a sharp increase in earthquake activity took place in Tungnafellsjökull volcano (read the article about that for more information).


The earthquake activity in Bárðarbunga volcano and Tungnafellsjökull volcano. The green star shows the magnitude 3,6 earthquake. Copyright of this image belongs to Icelandic Met Office.

Currently the activity in Bárðarbunga volcano is mostly what is now considered ‘normal’ after the 2014 – 2015 eruption. I don’t know if that status is about to change, but there are clues in current activity suggesting that might be about to happen. This increased activity however might slow down again and go back to normal background levels.

Donations

Please remember to support my work. As it helps me to get trough the month of June. Thanks for the support. 🙂

Posted on

Earthquake swarm west of Langjökull glacier

Few weeks ago an earthquake swarm started west of Langjökull glacier and is on the edge of western fracture zone. That earthquake swarm then stopped and has now started again and it appears that the magnitude of the earthquakes is increasing. The magnitude has gone from mostly 1,0 and up to mostly 2,0.


The earthquake activity west of Langjökull glacier. Copyright of this image belongs to Icelandic Met Office.

This earthquake swarm has all the signs of being intra-plate earthquake swarm, but due to location of it’s hard to be sure if that is the case. No fault lines are document at this location, that means no major earthquake activity has taken place there for a long time.

Donations

Please remember to support my work with donations. I am currently going trough a difficult month. Thanks for the support. 🙂

Posted on

Increasing earthquake activity in Katla volcano

Over the last few days there has been increasing earthquake activity in Katla volcano. The increase is slow, but this is a increase in activity. This holds in line with increased glacier melt during the Icelandic summer. What appears to be different now is the phase the increase is happening. At the moment the earthquake activity has not yet reached last year activity levels.


Earthquake activity in Katla volcano for the last 48 hours. Copyright of this image belongs to Icelandic Met Office.

Largest earthquake in last 48 hours had the magnitude of 2,4 and took place in a minor earthquake swarm inside Katla volcano caldera. Since then there has been minor earthquake activity inside Katla volcano caldera, but compared to last year current activity is low. Other earthquakes that have happened have been smaller in magnitude.

Donations

Please remember to support my work or I’ll soon go into involuntary diet period in June. I am really that broke at this moment due to many factors taking place like the perfect Icelandic winter storm. Thanks for the support. 🙂

Posted on

Earthquake swarm in Tjörnes Fracture Zone east of Grímsey island

Today (09-June-2017) there has been a earthquake swarm in Tjörnes Fracture Zone east of Grimsey island. This was fairly large earthquake swarm in number of earthquakes that happened. Largest magnitude that happened was 2,2 and second largest was 2,1. All other earthquakes where smaller and I think around 40 earthquakes happened in this earthquake swarm.


The earthquake swarm east of Grímsey island on TFZ. Copyright of this image belongs to Icelandic Met Office.

It seems that this earthquake swarm is over, at least for now. This area of Tjörnes Fracture Zone has been showing increasing earthquake activity over the last few weeks. It is difficult to know if that keeps up as it has been doing.

The earthquake swarm off Flatey island is now entering its fifth or six week. There are no signs of that earthquake activity quieting down for now at least.

Donations

Please remember to support my work. It helps me keeping my self afloat and keeping Iceland geology website updated. Thanks for the support. 🙂

Posted on

Earthquake swarm in Krýsuvík volcano

Yesterday (08-June-2017) and today (09-June-2017) there has been a earthquake activity in Krýsuvík volcano. This earthquake activity doesn’t appear to be connected to the volcano, rather this is a normal rifting valley earthquake activity taking place.


The earthquake activity in Krýsuvík volcano. Copyright of this image belongs to Icelandic Met Office.

Largest earthquake in this swarm so far had the magnitude of 2,6 and the second largest earthquake had the magnitude of 2,0. All other earthquakes where smaller in magnitude. The earthquake activity continues but has slowed down considerably from yesterday.

Donations

Please remember to support my work with donations. Thanks for the support. 🙂

Posted on

Minor earthquake activity in Hekla volcano

Today (09-June-2017) there has been earthquake activity in Hekla volcano. Largest earthquake only has the magnitude of 1,0 and greatest depth is 2,2 km.


Hekla is to the right on this image. Copyright of this image belongs to Icelandic Met Office.

At the moment there are no signs that this is going to lead to an eruption. That might change without warning. The source of this earthquake activity might be gas or steam activity in the crust in Hekla volcano, at least when it comes to shallower depth. At more depth it’s slightly difficult and increases the changes the earthquakes at those depth are created either by magma or pocket of gas breaking the crust.

At the moment Hekla volcano is not showing any signs that eruption is imminent.

Donations

Please remember to support my work with donations. Thanks for the support. 🙂

Posted on

Deep earthquake activity in Trölladyngja (volcano)

Today (08-June-2017) there have been deep earthquakes in Trölladyngja (volcano). This earthquake swarm was shallower than last earthquake swarm that took place in Trölladyngja. Several months ago the earthquakes in Trölladyngja where happening at 28 km depth, but now they are at the depth range of 18,6 – 23,3 km, this means that the magma under Trölladyngja is migrating upwards at fast phase, a lot faster then I thought was possible. Earthquake swarm in November-2015 where slight off to the side, those earthquakes had the depth of 15 – 18 km as I wrote about here. Since November-2015 here has been other activity in Trölladyngja, but that has been in the form of one or two earthquakes so I have not written about it (I never bother with just one or two earthquakes at location due to the amount that happens daily in Iceland).


Earthquake activity in Trölladyngja (volcano), north-east of Bárðarbunga volcano fissure swarm. Copyright of this image belongs to Icelandic Met Office.

Last eruption in Trölladyngja was according to GVP (under Bárðarbunga volcano history) was 7000 years ago. Since then nothing has happened. There has been a lot more eruption in Dyngjuháls area and that area is also having deep earthquakes. That area is also covered with ~200 meters of glacier. It remains to be seen what happens next in the Bárðarbunga volcano saga.

Donations

Please remember to support my work. As it currently stands I’m completely broke and that’s no good at the start of the month. Thanks for the support. 🙂

Posted on

Minor earthquake activity in Katla volcano

Today (03-June-2017) there has been a minor earthquake activity in Katla volcano. This was a minor earthquake activity and no earthquake did reach magnitude 2,0. Based on location and depth this activity suggests that magma was on the move inside Katla volcano. Most depth in this earthquake activity was 16,1 km.


Earthquake activity in Katla volcano. Copyright of this image belongs to Icelandic Met Office.

It seems that for now the activity has quieted down. June is the start of earthquake season in Katla volcano and until December there is going to be increased earthquake activity taking place.

Donations

Please remember to support my work with donations. It helps me keeping this website and my self running to write new articles about what’s going on in Iceland. Thanks for the support. 🙂

Posted on

Two earthquake swarms in Iceland today (02-June-2017)

Today (02-June-2017) there have been two earthquake swarms taking place in Iceland. Both are minor in terms of magnitude, the second earthquake swarm is now getting close to 60 – 80 earthquakes at the moment.

Western Icelandic Seismic Zone

This earthquake swarm is taking place on the edge of the slow moving Western Icelandic Seismic Zone (as I call it). This is a earthquake active zone between Langjökull, Snæfellsnes and Vestfjörð up to Táknafjörður village. It sometimes has earthquakes with magnitude up to 5.5.


The earthquake swarm in western Iceland. I don’t think anyone of this earthquakes did go above magnitude 2,0. Copyright of this image belongs to Icelandic Met Office.

Herðubreið – Herðubreiðartögl

Also today there has been a earthquake swarm in Herðubreið and Herðubreiðartöglum. This is a common earthquake swarm. Far as I know none of the earthquakes that have happened so far have reached magnitude 2,0 at the moment. As this earthquake swarm is currently ongoing it is impossible to know for sure what happens next.


The earthquake swarm in Herðubreið and Herðubreiðartöglum (to the north-east of Bárðarbunga volcano). Copyright of this image belongs to Icelandic Met Office.

What is known is that magma has been migrating in this direction, but at this moment there is nothing suggesting that this magma has found a path to the surface and it remains at ~15 km depth. Earthquake swarms in this area normally last up to two weeks at the most.

Iceland geology Twitter

I have now moved this website to its own twitter account. It cuts out the noise on my own personal twitter account. It is possible to follow Iceland geology on twitter by pressing this button.

Donations

Please remember to support my work with donations. It appears that June is going to be a difficult month as was the case with May (I just scraped May with minimal money). Thanks for the support. 🙂

Posted on

Weekly earthquake activity in Bárðarbunga volcano (1-June-2017)

Today (01-June-2017) a earthquake swarm took place in Bárðarbunga volcano. This earthquake swarm was in the regular location at north-east part of the caldera. Two earthquakes with magnitude 3,2 took place and one magnitude 3,6 earthquake happened. Other earthquakes in this activity where smaller in magnitude.


The earthquake activity in Bárðarbunga volcano today (01-June-2017). Copyright of this image belongs to Icelandic Met Office.

Earthquake activity in Bárðarbunga volcano is now getting close to weekly again. This suggest that magma inflow into the volcano is increasing again. What that means in the long term is unclear at this moment. Sometimes there is just one earthquake, but in most earthquake events there are now more than one earthquake with magnitude above 3,0.

Donations

Please remember to support my work. June is also going to be rather poor month for me due to dentist costs. I am hoping this is the last of it and July is going to be better. That still leaves me to make it trough June. Thanks for the support. 🙂