Herðubreið
Seismicity by period · derived statistics from Skjálftalísa (Icelandic Met Office)
Status (automatic)
No particular signs of unrest in the last 24 hours — 4 earthquakes recorded, within the system's normal range.Tuya near Askja, often called the queen of Icelandic mountains. No eruptions in historical time but frequent seismicity. (overview — more at vedur.is) · circle on the map = rough outline of the system (radius).
📜 Did you know?
Herðubreið, the „Queen of Icelandic Mountains”, is a 1,682 m high tuya (table mountain) that formed in a single eruption beneath an Ice Age glacier and has never erupted since. Although the mountain had been known for centuries, no one reached its summit until 1908, when the German geologist Hans Reck and Sigurður Sumarliðason were the first to the top. The expedition set out to investigate the disappearance of the geologist Walther von Knebel, who had drowned near Askja the previous year.
Points = earthquake locations in the selected window, coloured by magnitude: M3+ · M2+ · smaller (a sample if more than 800).
Earthquakes
4
Largest
M1.5
M3,0+
0
Depth range
3–13 km
Earthquakes over time
Cumulative count · 4 earthquakes · total moment ≈ M1.6 · 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
5
Largest
M1.5
M3,0+
0
Depth range
3–13 km
Earthquakes over time
Cumulative count · 5 earthquakes · total moment ≈ M1.6 · 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
34
Largest
M1.7
M3,0+
0
Depth range
0–13 km
Earthquakes over time
Cumulative count · 34 earthquakes · total moment ≈ M2.0 · count moment
No significant hypocenter migration — activity is stationary (R²=0.04, n=34); no sign of a propagating dike. Migration shows automatically if R²≥0.30.
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
74
Largest
M1.7
M3,0+
0
Depth range
0–14 km
Earthquakes over time
Cumulative count · 74 earthquakes · total moment ≈ M2.1 · count moment
Depth (0 km at top) — shallowing in the data (6.9→4.4 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.
Earthquakes
181
Largest
M1.7
M3,0+
0
Depth range
0–18 km
Earthquakes over time
Cumulative count · 181 earthquakes · total moment ≈ M2.3 · count moment
Depth (0 km at top) — shallowing in the data (7.5→5.7 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.
Earthquakes
510
Largest
M2.3
M3,0+
0
Depth range
0–24 km
Earthquakes over time
Cumulative count · 510 earthquakes · total moment ≈ M2.7 · 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
975
Largest
M2.3
M3,0+
0
Depth range
0–24 km
Earthquakes over time
Cumulative count · 975 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
2005
Largest
M2.9
M3,0+
0
Depth range
0–24 km
Earthquakes over time
Cumulative count · 2005 earthquakes · total moment ≈ M3.1 · 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
13.672
Largest
M4.1
M3.0+
9
Days with data
1.470
This is a reduced view: it is built from the daily aggregate (counts, moment, magnitude bands, depth histogram) rather than individual events. Map points, the depth scatter, cross-sections and the migration fit are therefore missing — they need each event's location and depth. Counts, total moment and the b-value are exact, not approximated.
Earthquakes over time
Cumulative count and moment
Total moment of all events in the window equals a single Mw 4.3
Magnitude distribution
<110489
1–21637
2–3146
3–48
≥41
Gutenberg-Richter b ≈ 1.09 ± 0.06 (i.e. likely 1.03–1.14, M≥1.7, n=329)
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
23.553
Largest
M4.1
M3.0+
16
Days with data
3.026
This is a reduced view: it is built from the daily aggregate (counts, moment, magnitude bands, depth histogram) rather than individual events. Map points, the depth scatter, cross-sections and the migration fit are therefore missing — they need each event's location and depth. Counts, total moment and the b-value are exact, not approximated.
Earthquakes over time
Cumulative count and moment
Total moment of all events in the window equals a single Mw 4.4
Magnitude distribution
<118742
1–23136
2–3268
3–415
≥41
Gutenberg-Richter b ≈ 1.09 ± 0.04 (i.e. likely 1.05–1.13, M≥1.7, n=573)
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
43.329
Largest
M4.1
M3.0+
41
Days with data
5.714
This is a reduced view: it is built from the daily aggregate (counts, moment, magnitude bands, depth histogram) rather than individual events. Map points, the depth scatter, cross-sections and the migration fit are therefore missing — they need each event's location and depth. Counts, total moment and the b-value are exact, not approximated.
Earthquakes over time
Cumulative count and moment
Total moment of all events in the window equals a single Mw 4.7
Magnitude distribution
<131170
1–29179
2–31533
3–440
≥41
Gutenberg-Richter b ≈ 1.26 ± 0.02 (i.e. likely 1.24–1.27, M≥1.7, n=3316)
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
44.907
Largest
M4.1
M3.0+
60
Days with data
6.157
This is a reduced view: it is built from the daily aggregate (counts, moment, magnitude bands, depth histogram) rather than individual events. Map points, the depth scatter, cross-sections and the migration fit are therefore missing — they need each event's location and depth. Counts, total moment and the b-value are exact, not approximated.
Earthquakes over time
Cumulative count and moment
Total moment of all events in the window equals a single Mw 4.8
Magnitude distribution
<131613
1–210018
2–31807
3–458
≥42
Gutenberg-Richter b ≈ 1.23 ± 0.02 (i.e. likely 1.21–1.24, M≥1.7, n=3880)
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.
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.
Earthquakes in the system
| Time (UTC) | Mag | Depth (km) | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-11 19:00 | M1.5 | 5.3 | Other areas |
| 2026-09-11 09:46 | M1.0 | 3.5 | Other areas |
| 2026-09-11 07:33 | M0.4 | 12.8 | Other areas |
| 2026-09-10 22:47 | M0.4 | 8.0 | Other areas |
| 2026-09-09 23:48 | M0.3 | 6.5 | Other areas |
| 2026-09-09 15:49 | M0.6 | 5.7 | Other areas |
| 2026-09-09 15:48 | M0.4 | 5.2 | Other areas |
| 2026-09-09 13:38 | M0.6 | 7.7 | Other areas |
| 2026-09-09 13:31 | M1.7 | 2.6 | Other areas |
| 2026-09-09 12:52 | M0.4 | 6.7 | Other areas |
| 2026-09-09 08:16 | M0.6 | 0.0 | Other areas |
| 2026-09-09 07:12 | M0.7 | 2.0 | Other areas |
| 2026-09-09 06:48 | M0.3 | 1.7 | Other areas |
| 2026-09-09 06:09 | M1.3 | 5.9 | Other areas |
| 2026-09-09 06:07 | M0.5 | 5.6 | Other areas |
| 2026-09-09 05:46 | M-0.0 | 1.3 | Other areas |
| 2026-09-08 22:44 | M0.7 | 0.2 | Other areas |
| 2026-09-08 22:10 | M-0.3 | 0.0 | Other areas |
| 2026-09-08 20:28 | M0.1 | 4.4 | Other areas |
| 2026-09-08 20:06 | M0.0 | 4.8 | Other areas |
| 2026-09-08 11:36 | M1.1 | 2.0 | Other areas |
| 2026-09-08 11:31 | M0.1 | 2.1 | Other areas |
| 2026-09-08 10:59 | M0.9 | 10.6 | Other areas |
| 2026-09-08 10:26 | M1.6 | 2.5 | Other areas |
| 2026-09-08 08:46 | M-0.2 | 4.4 | Other areas |
| 2026-09-08 05:41 | M0.1 | 3.6 | Other areas |
| 2026-09-08 05:08 | M0.1 | 7.4 | Other areas |
| 2026-09-08 01:56 | M1.2 | 0.9 | Other areas |
| 2026-09-08 01:35 | M-0.1 | 2.1 | Other areas |
| 2026-09-07 20:28 | M0.3 | 5.2 | Other areas |
| 2026-09-07 14:41 | M0.2 | 1.6 | Other areas |
| 2026-09-06 22:02 | M0.1 | 6.6 | Other areas |
| 2026-09-06 03:12 | M-0.2 | 3.5 | Other areas |
| 2026-09-05 00:06 | M0.3 | 3.0 | Other areas |
| 2026-09-02 10:58 | M0.3 | 8.5 | Other areas |
| 2026-09-01 05:07 | M0.2 | 5.0 | Other areas |
| 2026-08-31 10:35 | M0.1 | 7.3 | Other areas |
| 2026-08-31 08:14 | M0.5 | 1.7 | Other areas |
| 2026-08-30 08:31 | M0.2 | 7.3 | Other areas |
| 2026-08-30 06:41 | M0.5 | 7.9 | Other areas |
| 2026-08-30 06:34 | M0.0 | 6.0 | Other areas |
| 2026-08-29 18:23 | M0.3 | 7.7 | Other areas |
| 2026-08-27 22:19 | M0.0 | 0.0 | Other areas |
| 2026-08-26 23:40 | M0.2 | 9.8 | Other areas |
| 2026-08-26 18:03 | M0.3 | 9.2 | Other areas |
| 2026-08-24 22:00 | M0.2 | 6.9 | Other areas |
| 2026-08-24 01:29 | M-0.3 | 14.3 | Other areas |
| 2026-08-21 14:22 | M0.3 | 5.2 | Other areas |
| 2026-08-20 22:23 | M-0.2 | 8.5 | Other areas |
| 2026-08-20 15:47 | M0.5 | 7.4 | Other areas |
| 2026-08-20 14:54 | M0.5 | 7.8 | Other areas |
| 2026-08-20 08:24 | M-0.3 | 4.8 | Other areas |
| 2026-08-19 07:05 | M0.4 | 8.2 | Other areas |
| 2026-08-19 01:24 | M-0.1 | 7.9 | Other areas |
| 2026-08-19 00:38 | M0.0 | 4.4 | Other areas |
| 2026-08-18 15:22 | M0.3 | 2.8 | Other areas |
| 2026-08-18 13:29 | M1.6 | 7.8 | Other areas |
| 2026-08-17 22:06 | M-0.0 | 13.5 | Other areas |
| 2026-08-17 15:45 | M0.6 | 8.0 | Other areas |
| 2026-08-16 20:09 | M0.4 | 3.2 | Other areas |
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).