Seismic activity has increased
The amount of magma under Svartsengi has exceeded the amount that caused the last magma run or the last eruption. mbl.is/Árni Sæberg
31 earthquakes have been recorded on the Reykjanes peninsula since midnight, and the seismic activity has increased a little this morning, according to Böðvar Sveinsson, a natural hazard specialist at the Icelandic Met Office.
“It’s a short time before something will happen in the area,” Sveinsson tells us. “Yesterday’s announcement from the Icelandic Met Office indicated that the total amount of magma under Svartsengi has exceeded the limits that have set off a magma-run or volcanic eruption on the Sundhnúkagígar crater row. This increases the likelihood of a new magma-run or volcanic eruption in the coming days.
A few quakes more than two in size
The Icelandic Met Office updated the hazard assessment yesterday in light of the latest data. The hazard assessment is unchanged from the last version and will be valid until Tuesday, March 19, unchanged.
There have been considerable earthquakes on Reykjanes peninsula in the last day and several earthquakes have been measured over magnitude 2. Sveinsson says that earthquakes are detected now and then in this area and that is normal.