Eyjafjarðaráll

Seismicity by period · derived statistics from Skjálftalísa (Icelandic Met Office)

Status (automatic)

No particular signs of unrest in the last 24 hours — 2 earthquakes recorded, within the system's normal range.

Northern graben within the Tjörnes Fracture Zone, ~60 km north of Akureyri. NOT a volcano but a tectonic trough (transform plate boundary). An M4+ earthquake sequence occurred in 2012 (Met Office). Usually quiet but capable of larger tectonic events. (overview — more at vedur.is) · circle on the map = rough outline of the system (radius).

❓ What if Eyjafjarðaráll stirs?

Eyjafjarðaráll is not a volcano — it is a tectonic trough (graben) within the Tjörnes Fracture Zone with no eruption history. Likely scenario: A swarm of M2-5 earthquakes (common), possibly capped by a larger event (M6+). Historically, larger fracture-zone quakes have caused damage in Akureyri and on the Tröllaskagi peninsula. Impact: Building damage in Akureyri (~60 km south) if M6+; minor displacement possible. Tsunami risk is low (insufficient mass movement). Sources: M4+ sequence in 2012 (Met Office), TFZ history.

This is not a forecast. Based on historical experience and official hazard assessments from the Met Office / Civil Protection.

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Points = earthquake locations in the selected window, coloured by magnitude: ● M3+ · ● M2+ · ● smaller (a sample if more than 800).

Earthquakes

Largest

M0.8

M3,0+

Depth range

8–12 km

Earthquakes over time

Cumulative count · 2 earthquakes · total moment ≈ M0.9 · count moment

Depth (0 km at top).

Not enough depth data.

Magnitude distribution

Earthquakes

Largest

M1.7

M3,0+

Depth range

6–12 km

Earthquakes over time

Cumulative count · 5 earthquakes · total moment ≈ M1.8 · count moment

Depth (0 km at top). Grey: fixed depth.

Magnitude distribution

Depth cross-sections — color by age (orange=newest, grey=older), point size by M. Rising cluster = possible magma intrusion.

Earthquakes

Largest

M1.7

M3,0+

Depth range

3–14 km

Earthquakes over time

Cumulative count · 10 earthquakes · total moment ≈ M1.9 · count moment

Depth (0 km at top). Grey: fixed depth.

Magnitude distribution

Depth cross-sections — color by age (orange=newest, grey=older), point size by M. Rising cluster = possible magma intrusion.

Earthquakes

Largest

M1.9

M3,0+

Depth range

1–18 km

Earthquakes over time

Cumulative count · 40 earthquakes · total moment ≈ M2.3 · count moment

Depth (0 km at top). Grey: fixed depth.

Magnitude distribution

Depth cross-sections — color by age (orange=newest, grey=older), point size by M. Rising cluster = possible magma intrusion.

Earthquakes

267

Largest

M2.3

M3,0+

Depth range

0–18 km

Earthquakes over time

Cumulative count · 267 earthquakes · total moment ≈ M2.8 · count moment

Depth (0 km at top). Grey: fixed depth.

Magnitude distribution

Depth cross-sections — color by age (orange=newest, grey=older), point size by M. Rising cluster = possible magma intrusion.

Note: before February 2026 about half of events lacked an automatic magnitude, so magnitude-dependent figures (b-value, count of M≥X) under-count earlier periods — the catalogue is not homogeneous across this window. Cumulative moment is barely affected.

Earthquakes

642

Largest

M2.3

M3,0+

Depth range

0–21 km

Earthquakes over time

Cumulative count · 642 earthquakes · total moment ≈ M2.9 · count moment

Depth (0 km at top) — shallowing in the data (9.7→8.0 km). Grey: fixed depth.

Magnitude distribution

Depth cross-sections — color by age (orange=newest, grey=older), point size by M. Rising cluster = possible magma intrusion.

Depth is automatic and uncertain; earthquakes alone do not show magma movement — deformation (GPS) and gas are needed. Grey points: automatic fixed-depth values. b-value computed for M≥1.5 (automatic magnitudes make lower completeness unreliable). Preliminary data.

Glossary & magnitude scale →

Earthquakes in the system

Time (UTC)	Mag	Depth	Area
2026-06-10 08:36	M0.8	12.4	Tjörnes / N-land
2026-06-09 12:03	M0.4	8.5	Tjörnes / N-land
2026-06-09 08:35	M0.1	7.5	Tjörnes / N-land
2026-06-09 07:54	M1.5	11.4	Önnur svæði
2026-06-09 07:54	M1.7	5.5	Önnur svæði
2026-06-08 02:22	M0.6	11.1	Tjörnes / N-land
2026-06-07 08:04	M0.6	4.2	Önnur svæði
2026-06-07 08:04	M0.8	3.3	Önnur svæði
2026-06-06 15:29	M0.9	13.6	Önnur svæði
2026-06-05 12:02	M1.0	7.8	Tjörnes / N-land
2026-06-02 20:37	M0.4	11.2	Tjörnes / N-land
2026-06-01 16:34	M1.0	5.1	Önnur svæði
2026-06-01 02:12	M0.4	5.4	Önnur svæði
2026-05-31 23:08	M0.7	7.2	Tjörnes / N-land
2026-05-31 10:03	M1.5	5.3	Önnur svæði
2026-05-31 10:03	M1.5	5.8	Önnur svæði
2026-05-31 09:18	M1.1	13.7	Önnur svæði
2026-05-29 16:23	M0.1	17.6	Önnur svæði
2026-05-29 11:54	M1.2	12.6	Önnur svæði
2026-05-27 04:06	M1.4	5.1	Önnur svæði
2026-05-23 16:32	M1.3	5.3	Önnur svæði
2026-05-23 07:58	M0.8	4.9	Önnur svæði
2026-05-22 17:26	M1.3	5.2	Önnur svæði
2026-05-21 21:40	M0.3	11.2	Tjörnes / N-land
2026-05-20 03:11	M1.2	8.0	Önnur svæði
2026-05-19 17:17	M0.9	12.8	Önnur svæði
2026-05-19 17:15	M0.9	7.7	Önnur svæði
2026-05-19 08:47	M1.0	8.6	Önnur svæði
2026-05-19 07:53	M0.5	13.9	Önnur svæði
2026-05-19 06:18	M1.2	7.7	Önnur svæði
2026-05-19 06:14	M1.9	3.2	Önnur svæði
2026-05-15 10:59	M0.7	13.7	Önnur svæði
2026-05-15 06:44	M0.3	10.5	Tjörnes / N-land
2026-05-15 02:14	M0.3	11.0	Önnur svæði
2026-05-14 23:07	M0.6	1.1	Önnur svæði
2026-05-14 15:58	M0.7	11.1	Önnur svæði
2026-05-13 15:30	M1.2	3.4	Önnur svæði
2026-05-11 22:05	M1.4	5.1	Önnur svæði
2026-05-11 21:23	M0.6	6.8	Tjörnes / N-land
2026-05-11 21:14	M0.7	7.3	Tjörnes / N-land
2026-05-11 07:25	M0.8	7.0	Tjörnes / N-land
2026-05-09 16:20	M0.3	9.0	Önnur svæði
2026-05-06 23:16	M0.9	8.5	Önnur svæði
2026-05-04 10:27	M0.1	5.2	Önnur svæði
2026-05-04 04:18	M0.5	3.5	Önnur svæði
2026-05-04 04:09	M0.7	5.9	Önnur svæði
2026-05-04 00:31	M0.6	13.4	Önnur svæði
2026-05-03 19:37	M0.7	10.7	Önnur svæði
2026-04-30 05:41	M1.7	6.7	Önnur svæði
2026-04-28 17:23	M0.6	5.5	Önnur svæði
2026-04-27 22:20	M1.3	11.8	Önnur svæði
2026-04-26 17:41	M1.1	8.0	Tjörnes / N-land
2026-04-26 06:06	M0.9	1.1	Önnur svæði
2026-04-25 21:46	M1.3	8.4	Tjörnes / N-land
2026-04-25 21:44	M1.4	8.1	Tjörnes / N-land
2026-04-24 18:03	M1.0	1.1	Önnur svæði
2026-04-24 13:10	M1.5	2.6	Önnur svæði
2026-04-23 18:54	M0.6	5.2	Önnur svæði
2026-04-23 18:52	M0.7	10.8	Önnur svæði
2026-04-23 12:24	M0.7	2.4	Önnur svæði

System journal

Automatic snapshots and media coverage, in chronological order. Subscribe: RSS · ntfy skjalftar-eyjafjardarall

2026-06-01 09:27:05 UTC

In the last 24 hours, four earthquakes were recorded in the Eyjafjarðaráll system and activity is increasing compared to the weekly average, which is unusual for this area. This distributed background activity most closely resembles the period around December 6, 2025, though these are automatic preliminary results from a tectonic valley north of Akureyri. The cumulative magnitude over the last 48 hours was Mw 1.7 and a b-value of β 3.4 indicates an increased frequency of smaller events. Further details on trends and measurements can be found lower on the page.

2026-06-01 02:27:04 UTC

In the last 24 hours, five earthquakes were recorded in the Eyjafjarðaráll system, indicating considerably higher activity than usual for this area and an increasing trend. The activity is characterized by distributed background seismicity rather than swarms and most closely resembles the period around December 6, 2025. These automatic preliminary results show that the largest earthquake in the past 48 hours was M1.5 with a cumulative magnitude of Mw 1.7. Further details on trends and measurements are available below.

2026-05-31 23:27:04 UTC

In the last 24 hours, four earthquakes were recorded in the Eyjafjarðaráll, a tectonic valley rather than a volcanic system, indicating increased distributed background activity rather than distinct swarms. Activity is currently higher than usual for this area and most closely resembles the period around April 14, 2026, though these are automatic preliminary results with unreliable depth estimates. Further details on trends and measurements can be found lower on the page.

2026-05-31 10:27:04 UTC

In the last 24 hours, three earthquakes were recorded in the Eyjafjarðaráll system, a tectonic valley rather than a volcano, with activity now increasing above the area's usual rate. This increase is characterized by distributed background activity rather than distinct swarms and most closely resembles the period around June 27, 2024. The cumulative magnitude of the largest events in the last 48 hours is Mw 1.8 and the b-value β is 2.3, reflecting a deviation from the average. Results are automatic preliminary results, and further data can be found lower on the page.

What do the numbers mean — and what should I do?

β (swarm signal): how high activity is versus the area's 2-year average. β above 2 means an ongoing swarm. It measures activity, not a forecast of a large quake.

Cumulative moment (Mw): the combined energy of the quakes in the period. Uplift (GNSS): whether the ground is rising or sinking, mm per year — the data are a few weeks old. Some systems (e.g. Svartsengi) deform in steps during eruption cycles rather than at a steady annual rate.

Swarm character is computed for a whole volcanic belt, not a single system — it describes the belt, not necessarily this one system.

What should I do? This is automatic monitoring for information — not an official warning. Follow official information from the Icelandic Met Office and Civil Protection (112).

Data: Icelandic Met Office (Skjálftalísa API), automatic preliminary results — may change. This is not an official warning. Official warnings: vedur.is and Civil Protection (112).