Overview of Earthquake activity

Earthquake activity throughout the country is described in a weekly summary that is written by a Natural Hazard Specialist. The weekly summary is published on the web every Tuesday. It covers the activity of the previous week in all seismic areas and volcanic systems in the country. If earthquake swarms are ongoing or significant events such as larger earthquakes have occurred during the week, they are specifically discussed.

Weekly overview

Monthly overview April 2025

In April 2025, a total of 13,561 earthquakes were detected across the country, of which 4,489 have been manually reviewed. The vast majority of these earthquakes—10,881 in total—were measured on the Reykjanes Peninsula.

The largest earthquake of the month was a magnitude 5.3 event located offshore near Reykjanestá on April 1st. It was felt widely across the southwest corner of the country. A magmatic intrusion and volcanic eruption occurred in the Sundhnúkur crater row on April 1st, during which 2,419 earthquakes were measured in a single day. Intense seismic activity followed the formation of the new dike and continued throughout the month.

Tremor was recorded in the Torfajökull area on the evening of April 6th, visible across the entire central highlands and lasting for about two hours. Considerable microseismic activity has since been observed in the Torfajökull caldera in the aftermath of the tremor episode.

Monthly overview- January 2025

About 2,100 earthquakes were located by the natural hazards specialists at the Icelandic Meteorological Office in January, representing a slight increase compared to the past three months. The highest activity was observed on the Reykjanes Peninsula, followed by Grjótárvatn and Bárðarbunga. The largest earthquake of the month was measured at M4.9 in Bárðarbunga on January 14. A total of 30 earthquakes exceeded M3.0 in magnitude, with 21 of them occurring in Bárðarbunga.

For more details on seismic activity, see: Skjálfta Lísa.

Monthly overview - December 2024

Over 1,750 earthquakes were recorded in Iceland during December. The number of earthquakes is similar to the past two months. The highest activity was observed on the Reykjanes Peninsula and Reykjanes Ridge, followed by the Grjótarvatn area. The sixth volcanic eruption of 2024 occurred from November 20 to December 8, making it the second-largest eruption by volume in the Sundhnúkar crater row. The largest earthquake of the month was a magnitude 5.1 in Bárðarbunga. A total of nine earthquakes exceeded magnitude 3, including two in Bárðarbunga.

For more details on seismic activity, see Skjálfta Lísa.

Monthly overview - November 2024

Overall, about 1,700 earthquakes were detected across the country in November. Seismic activity was relatively low compared to other months this year, which is notable given that a volcanic eruption began on November 20th between Stóra-Skógfell and Sýlingarfell. The eruption started with a little warning, with seismic activity increasing about an hour prior. Around 100 earthquakes were recorded during the swarm, the largest of which measured M1.9. Since the eruption began, there has been minimal seismic activity in the area. The eruption continues and has now become the second-largest eruption in the Sundhnúkur crater row.
The largest earthquake of the month was M3.6 in Bárðarbunga. A total of seven earthquakes above M3.0 were detected, including two in Bárðarbunga.

For more details on seismic activity, see: Skjálfta Lísa .