Major earthquake recorded in Bárðarbunga
Two earthquakes over magnitude 3 have been detected in Bárðarbunga over the weekend. Map/map.is
A magnitude 3.5 earthquake struck Bárðarbunga shortly after noon today, according to the Icelandic Meteorological Office. Earthquakes of this size are considered common in the area.
The last significant tremor in Bárðarbunga occurred on Saturday night and measured 3.2 on the Richter scale.
Normal activity for the region
Minney Sigurðardóttir, a natural hazard specialist at the Icelandic Meteorological Office, emphasized that today’s earthquake is part of normal seismic activity at Bárðarbunga.
"It's just very typical for Bárðarbunga to experience one or two tremors like this at a distance," she said. "We had several on April 15th, some even reaching magnitude 4, so this is quite regular."
Minney noted that a single larger earthquake is not a cause for concern. However, if several sizable quakes occur over a short period, experts begin to monitor the area more closely. For Bárðarbunga, earthquakes over magnitude 3 are classified as significant.
Responses are assessed on a case-by-case basis
"The response is assessed each time based on the situation," Sigurðardóttir explained. "We evaluate whether there is any unrest or accompanying activity. If three or four large earthquakes occur close together, we assess the situation carefully, but there’s no reason to sound any alarm at the moment."
