Bárðarbunga is still shaking: The biggest earthquake of the year so far
Bárðarbunga seen from an airplane. Photo/Þórður Arnar Þórðarson
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck last night north-northeast of Bárðarbunga and is the biggest earthquake in Iceland so far this year.
This is what Salóme Jórunn Bernharðsdóttir, a natural hazard expert at the Icelandic Meteorological Office, says in an interview with mbl.is.
"But this is not unusual, to have such a large earthquake in Bárðarbunga," she says and points out that last year, seven earthquakes in Bárðarbunga were larger than magnitude 4.
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake in December
She mentions that in December 2024, there was one earthquake of magnitude 5.1 in Bárðarbunga, but last night's earthquake is otherwise the biggest earthquake in the last 60 days.
Asked if this is the biggest earthquake of the new year, Salóme says that it seems so.
Another earthquake in Bárðarbunga followed the large earthquake, but it was a magnitude 2.8 earthquake.
Grjótárvatn Lake in the Ljósafjöll volcanic system. mbl.is/Árni Sæberg
A magnitude 2.9 earthquake at Grjótárvatn Lake
There is ongoing seismic activity at Grjótárvatn Lake in the Ljósufjöll volcanic system, but as of 5 am this morning there was an earthquake of magnitude 2.9.
“Seismic activity has been increasing in recent months,” Bernharðsdóttir says.
There has been a lot of discussion about the seismic activity at Grjótárvatn Lake recently. It is not possible to confirm what is causing the activity, but two main possibilities are: plate tectonics or magma accumulation at great depths.
On December 18, the largest earthquake was measured since the increased activity began in the spring of 2021, and it was an earthquake of magnitude 3.2.
