Hveravellir
Seismicity by period · derived statistics from Skjálftalísa (Icelandic Met Office)
Status (automatic)
In the last 24 hours, no seismic activity was detected in the Hveravellir system, a volcanic system north of Langjökull with a known geothermal area. This is within what is considered normal for the area, but too few earthquakes have been detected to assess the trend of the activity. GNSS measurements show that the land is rising by ~25 mm/year (seasonally adjusted), which is faster than the decadal average of +14 mm/year. The activity is mostly diffuse background activity rather than swarms. These are automatic preliminary results.Volcanic system north of Langjökull with a well-known geothermal area. Last erupted around 950 AD. (overview — more at vedur.is) · circle on the map = rough outline of the system (radius).
📜 Did you know?
Hveravellir is a geothermal field in the central highlands, on the Kjölur route between Langjökull and Hofsjökull, with many hot springs and pools. The 18th-century outlaw Fjalla-Eyvindur sheltered here and is said to have cooked his food in the hot springs. The site was long a key waypoint on Kjalvegur, an ancient route across the interior.
Points = earthquake locations in the selected window, coloured by magnitude: M3+ · M2+ · smaller (a sample if more than 800).
Earthquakes
0
Largest
–
M3,0+
0
Depth range
–
Earthquakes over time
Cumulative count · 0 earthquakes · count moment
Depth (0 km at top).
Not enough depth data.
Magnitude distribution
Earthquakes
0
Largest
–
M3,0+
0
Depth range
–
Earthquakes over time
Cumulative count · 0 earthquakes · count moment
Depth (0 km at top).
Not enough depth data.
Magnitude distribution
Earthquakes
0
Largest
–
M3,0+
0
Depth range
–
Earthquakes over time
Cumulative count · 0 earthquakes · count moment
Depth (0 km at top).
Not enough depth data.
Magnitude distribution
Earthquakes
0
Largest
–
M3,0+
0
Depth range
–
Earthquakes over time
Cumulative count · 0 earthquakes · count moment
Depth (0 km at top).
Not enough depth data.
Magnitude distribution
Earthquakes
3
Largest
M1.5
M3,0+
0
Depth range
3–5 km
Earthquakes over time
Cumulative count · 3 earthquakes · total moment ≈ M1.7 · count moment
Depth (0 km at top).
Magnitude distribution
Depth cross-sections — color by age (orange=newest, grey=older), point size by M. Rising cluster = possible magma intrusion.
Earthquakes
13
Largest
M1.9
M3,0+
0
Depth range
0–8 km
Earthquakes over time
Cumulative count · 13 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
14
Largest
M1.9
M3,0+
0
Depth range
0–8 km
Earthquakes over time
Cumulative count · 14 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.
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
31
Largest
M1.9
M3,0+
0
Depth range
0–8 km
Earthquakes over time
Cumulative count · 31 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.
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.
Uplift — GNSS deformation
HVEL — land rising ~25 mm/yr (seasonally adjusted) · long-term +14 mm/yr (MIDAS)
REYK (Reykjavík) — reference ~+0 mm/yr
Up = land rising (possible magma accumulation), down = subsidence. From Nevada Geodetic Lab (third-party processing, ~3-week lag, latest 2026-08-29). Interpreted deformation: Icelandic Met Office.
Earthquakes in the system
| Time (UTC) | Mag | Depth (km) | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-05 03:25 | M1.1 | 3.2 | Other areas |
| 2026-08-04 23:54 | M1.5 | 4.6 | Other areas |
| 2026-08-04 23:54 | M1.3 | 3.7 | Other areas |
| 2026-05-31 00:07 | M1.1 | 0.0 | Other areas |
| 2026-04-19 11:48 | M1.3 | 3.2 | Other areas |
| 2026-04-17 06:19 | M1.6 | 5.9 | Other areas |
| 2026-04-16 15:09 | M1.9 | 3.1 | Other areas |
| 2026-04-01 12:51 | M1.6 | 4.1 | Other areas |
| 2026-04-01 09:48 | M1.2 | 3.7 | Other areas |
| 2026-03-30 21:08 | M1.6 | 6.2 | Other areas |
| 2026-03-30 17:25 | M1.8 | 7.8 | Other areas |
| 2026-03-30 17:25 | M1.6 | 6.1 | Other areas |
| 2026-03-30 16:11 | M1.5 | 5.6 | Other areas |
| 2025-09-19 12:21 | – | 4.1 | Other areas |
| 2025-09-10 08:45 | – | 6.0 | Other areas |
| 2025-08-20 02:55 | – | 3.8 | Other areas |
| 2025-08-18 18:31 | – | 3.1 | Other areas |
| 2025-08-18 00:59 | – | 5.4 | Other areas |
| 2025-08-17 09:11 | – | 4.7 | Other areas |
| 2025-08-17 08:37 | – | 3.5 | Other areas |
| 2025-08-17 08:28 | – | 5.9 | Other areas |
| 2025-08-17 08:27 | – | 3.7 | Other areas |
| 2025-08-17 07:27 | – | 4.9 | Other areas |
| 2025-08-17 01:36 | – | 5.2 | Other areas |
| 2025-08-17 00:46 | – | 5.8 | Other areas |
| 2025-08-16 23:35 | – | 6.1 | Other areas |
| 2025-08-16 23:08 | – | 5.1 | Other areas |
| 2025-08-16 22:29 | – | 5.2 | Other areas |
| 2025-08-16 22:23 | – | 4.9 | Other areas |
| 2025-04-18 21:21 | M1.5 | 1.1 | Other areas |
| 2024-09-18 22:14 | M1.2 | 1.1 | Other areas |
System journal
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skjalftar-hveravellirRepeated × 3 since 2026-09-11 06:40:02 — last 2026-09-11 20:20:02
In the last 24 hours, no seismic activity was detected in the Hveravellir system, a volcanic system north of Langjökull with a known geothermal area. This is within what is considered normal for the area, but too few earthquakes have been detected to assess the trend of the activity. GNSS measurements show that the land is rising by ~25 mm/year (seasonally adjusted), which is faster than the decadal average of +14 mm/year. The activity is mostly diffuse background activity rather than swarms. These are automatic preliminary results.2026-08-05 04:00:09 UTC
Over the last 24 hours, 3 earthquakes were detected in the Hveravellir volcanic system north of Langjökull, which represents slightly more activity than usual for this area where average activity is practically zero. This consists of scattered background activity rather than earthquake swarms, with the largest earthquake over the last 48 hours estimated at magnitude 1.6, and the total cumulative magnitude (Mw) for the period at 1.8. This isolated activity is too sparse to evaluate any trend, and it is noted that these are automatic preliminary results with unreliable earthquake depths. Further details and maps of the area are available below.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).