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Kerlingarfjöll

Seismicity by period · derived statistics from Skjálftalísa (Icelandic Met Office)
Status (automatic)
No particular signs of unrest in the last 24 hours — 0 earthquakes recorded, within the system's normal range.
Rhyolitic and geothermal area east of Hofsjökull. No eruptions in historical time. (overview — more at vedur.is) · circle on the map = rough outline of the system (radius).
📜 Did you know?
Kerlingarfjöll is a rhyolitic mountain cluster southwest of Hofsjökull with a colourful high-temperature geothermal area (Hveradalir). The mountains formed in repeated subglacial eruptions over about 300,000 years — the oldest rock about 336,000 years old and the youngest about 79,000 — but there has been no Holocene eruption. A summer ski school operated here from 1961 to around 2000.
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
121:0601:5406:4211:3016:1821:06
Cumulative count · 0 earthquakes · count moment
0 earthquakes in this window21:0601:5406:4211:3016:1821:06
Depth (0 km at top).

Not enough depth data.

Magnitude distribution
0<101–202–303–40≥4
Earthquakes
0
Largest
M3,0+
0
Depth range
Earthquakes over time
124.0725.0725.0726.0726.0726.07
Cumulative count · 0 earthquakes · count moment
0 earthquakes in this window24.0725.0725.0726.0726.0726.07
Depth (0 km at top).

Not enough depth data.

Magnitude distribution
0<101–202–303–40≥4
Earthquakes
0
Largest
M3,0+
0
Depth range
Earthquakes over time
119.0721.0722.0724.0725.0726.07
Cumulative count · 0 earthquakes · count moment
0 earthquakes in this window19.0721.0722.0724.0725.0726.07
Depth (0 km at top).

Not enough depth data.

Magnitude distribution
0<101–202–303–40≥4
Earthquakes
0
Largest
M3,0+
0
Depth range
Earthquakes over time
126.0602.0708.0714.0720.0726.07
Cumulative count · 0 earthquakes · count moment
0 earthquakes in this window26.0602.0708.0714.0720.0726.07
Depth (0 km at top).

Not enough depth data.

Magnitude distribution
0<101–202–303–40≥4
Earthquakes
2
Largest
M1.3
M3,0+
0
Depth range
1–4 km
Earthquakes over time
126.0707.1019.1202.0314.0526.07
Cumulative count · 2 earthquakes · total moment ≈ M1.3 · count moment
n=20M1.3026.0707.1019.1202.0314.0526.07
Depth (0 km at top).

Not enough depth data.

Magnitude distribution
0<111–202–303–40≥4
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
3
Largest
M1.3
M3,0+
0
Depth range
0–4 km
Earthquakes over time
126.0719.1214.0507.1002.0326.07
Cumulative count · 3 earthquakes · total moment ≈ M1.3 · count moment
n=30M1.3026.0719.1214.0507.1002.0326.07
Depth (0 km at top).
0km2km4km26.0719.1214.0507.1002.0326.07
Magnitude distribution
1<111–202–303–40≥4
Depth cross-sections — color by age (orange=newest, grey=older), point size by M. Rising cluster = possible magma intrusion.
0km2km4km19.37°W19.31°W19.25°W19.19°W19.13°WE-W
0km2km4km64.60°N64.62°N64.63°N64.65°N64.67°NN-S
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.

Glossary & magnitude scale →

Earthquakes in the system

Time (UTC)MagDepth (km)Area
2026-06-24 04:09M1.31.0Other areas
2025-12-12 07:543.8Other areas
2025-02-25 06:28M0.40.5Other 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).