A strong earthquake occurred this morning in Bárðarbungacaldera located on the Vatnajökull glacier. The earthquake measured M4.9 and was felt as far away as Akureyri. Kristín Jónsdóttir, head of the Icelandic Met Office’s Volcanoes, Earthquakes, and Deformation Department, told RÚV the earthquake was caused by a magma intrusion, but there are no indications the magma is on its way up to the surface.
Land rise has been occurring at Bárðarbunga since the end of the Holuhraun eruption in 2015. Kristín says there are no indications the current activity is related to the land rise and melting ice currently occurring at Askja volcano.
There are also no indications an eruption from Bárðarbunga is imminent, Kristín says. “Bárðarbunga could be in this phase, this magma accumulation phase, and then we get these strong quakes at certain intervals, for decades.”
