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From the most recent crustal deformation measurements, it is now clear that the inflation that occurred in Þorbjörn in January-February has started again. This is confirmed by both GPS and satellite data Scientists from the Icelandic Met Office, University of Iceland and ISOR met Wednesday (18.03) to review the latest data. The deformation is occurring in the same location as before, but at a slower rate. The uplift started in January and halted temporarily at the end of February. The most recent data show that since the beginning of March the uplift is about 20 mm.

The year 2019 was warm and the weather was mainly favorable. It was relatively warmer in the South and West but cooler in the North and East. April was exceptionally warm all over the country. It was the warmest April on record in Reykjavík, Stykkishólmur, Bolungarvík, Grímsey, Akureyri and Hveravellir.

The year was rather dry and particularly sunny in the southwestern and western part of the country. The year 2019 was the third sunniest year in Reykjavík on record. It was gloomier and wetter in the North and East. The year was one of the wettest years on record in Akureyri.

The data collected over the past week (including those measured by the recently installed stations) were reviewed. The new results suggest that the magma body is located at a depth of 3-5km, whereas it was previously estimated to be at 3-9km. There are indications of changing patterns in the crustal movements. The earthquake activity has decreased over the past two days, but there are still signs of a continuing inflation. Until now, the maximum deformation observed from the GPS stations is about 5 centimeters. Similar volcanic crises in the country suggest that this might be a long-term event, for which changes can occur week after week without the possibility to anticipate with certainty if the activity is resolved. During the meeting, possible scenarios that could be triggered in the event of an eruption have been also considered.

An inflation has been detected since January 21st and is centred just west of Mt. Thorbjorn on Reykjanes peninsula. The inflation is unusually rapid, around 3-4 mm per day and has accumulated to 2 cm to date. It has been detected both on continuous GPS stations and in InSAR images. The inflation is most likely a sign of magma accumulation at a depth of just a few km. If magma accumulation is causing the inflation, the accumulation is very small, with the first volume estimate is around 1 million cubic meters (0,001 km3).   This is the conclusion of a meeting held with the Scientific council of the Civil Protection at the IMO this morning.

The Icelandic Meteorological Office, the Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Iceland, and the International Glaciological Society (IGS) hosted the third IGS Nordic Branch Meeting held in Iceland in Reykholt last week. Scientists and students in glaciology and related topics presented their research results.. Most presentations were about glacier mapping, glacier geomorphology and glacier dynamics but outreach efforts about glaciers and discussions about glacier changes in a wider societal context were also on the agenda.