Kolbeinseyjarhryggur
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.Submarine ridge north of Iceland — the continuation of the Northern Volcanic Zone and Tjörnes Fracture Zone onto the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Frequent seismicity and submarine volcanism; the islet Kolbeinsey sits on the ridge. (overview — more at vedur.is) · circle on the map = rough outline of the system (radius).
Historical eruptions in the system — points colored by size, blue circle shows where we are now in time.
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
2
Largest
M2.3
M3,0+
0
Depth range
0–0 km
Earthquakes over time
Cumulative count · 2 earthquakes · total moment ≈ M2.3 · count moment
Depth (0 km at top). Grey: fixed depth.
Not enough depth data.
Magnitude distribution
Earthquakes
6
Largest
M2.3
M3,0+
0
Depth range
0–14 km
Earthquakes over time
Cumulative count · 6 earthquakes · total moment ≈ M2.5 · 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
54
Largest
M3.2
M3,0+
3
Depth range
0–24 km
Earthquakes over time
Cumulative count · 54 earthquakes · total moment ≈ M3.5 · count moment
Depth (0 km at top) — shallowing in the data (10.0→3.8 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.
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
166
Largest
M3.2
M3,0+
6
Depth range
0–24 km
Earthquakes over time
Cumulative count · 166 earthquakes · total moment ≈ M3.8 · count moment
Depth (0 km at top) — shallowing in the data (10.0→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.
Gutenberg-Richter b ≈ 0.73 ± 0.05 (i.e. likely 0.68–0.78, M≥1.7, n=94) · low b can accompany magma activity (small sample, interpret with caution)
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 | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-04 05:30 | M0.8 | 0.0 | Önnur svæði |
| 2026-06-03 18:03 | M2.3 | 0.0 | Önnur svæði |
| 2026-05-25 19:40 | M1.9 | 14.2 | Önnur svæði |
| 2026-05-24 09:04 | M2.1 | 14.2 | Önnur svæði |
| 2026-05-15 03:10 | M1.4 | 1.1 | Önnur svæði |
| 2026-05-15 02:54 | M1.9 | 0.8 | Önnur svæði |
| 2026-05-05 12:49 | M3.0 | 1.1 | Önnur svæði |
| 2026-04-29 11:58 | M2.6 | 4.4 | Önnur svæði |
| 2026-04-27 16:55 | M1.1 | 5.8 | Önnur svæði |
| 2026-04-27 08:11 | M1.2 | 7.5 | Önnur svæði |
| 2026-04-20 20:37 | M2.0 | 2.6 | Önnur svæði |
| 2026-04-20 05:35 | M2.3 | 1.1 | Önnur svæði |
| 2026-04-20 05:25 | M1.6 | 1.1 | Önnur svæði |
| 2026-04-09 14:30 | M1.8 | 1.1 | Önnur svæði |
| 2026-04-08 20:08 | M2.2 | 1.1 | Önnur svæði |
| 2026-04-08 02:30 | M1.5 | 5.2 | Önnur svæði |
| 2026-04-04 20:05 | M1.5 | 4.3 | Önnur svæði |
| 2026-04-04 20:02 | M1.4 | 6.3 | Önnur svæði |
| 2026-04-04 20:00 | M1.4 | 6.1 | Önnur svæði |
| 2026-03-06 10:10 | M2.4 | 1.1 | Önnur svæði |
| 2026-03-04 21:54 | M3.0 | 1.1 | Önnur svæði |
| 2026-02-23 01:46 | M1.3 | 3.8 | Önnur svæði |
| 2026-02-23 01:44 | M1.2 | 6.3 | Önnur svæði |
| 2026-02-15 01:42 | M2.2 | 2.6 | Önnur svæði |
| 2026-02-11 06:32 | M2.1 | 5.1 | Önnur svæði |
| 2026-02-07 16:10 | M1.7 | 5.2 | Önnur svæði |
| 2026-02-07 09:19 | M1.8 | 6.4 | Önnur svæði |
| 2026-02-07 07:34 | M1.7 | 5.7 | Önnur svæði |
| 2026-02-06 12:11 | M1.9 | 4.5 | Önnur svæði |
| 2026-01-08 16:32 | M2.5 | 14.0 | Önnur svæði |
| 2025-12-27 15:04 | – | 10.0 | Önnur svæði |
| 2025-12-24 11:23 | – | 9.0 | Önnur svæði |
| 2025-11-25 22:39 | M1.7 | 15.8 | Önnur svæði |
| 2025-11-25 15:38 | M2.3 | 15.5 | Önnur svæði |
| 2025-11-16 22:35 | M1.7 | 12.7 | Önnur svæði |
| 2025-11-09 08:17 | M2.0 | 23.6 | Tjörnes / N-land |
| 2025-11-02 04:45 | – | 9.4 | Önnur svæði |
| 2025-11-02 03:58 | – | 9.3 | Önnur svæði |
| 2025-10-25 23:55 | M1.7 | 5.2 | Önnur svæði |
| 2025-10-06 02:09 | M1.9 | 1.6 | Önnur svæði |
| 2025-08-22 18:32 | M1.8 | 1.2 | Önnur svæði |
| 2025-08-10 12:13 | M2.3 | 16.3 | Önnur svæði |
| 2025-08-08 12:43 | – | 10.0 | Önnur svæði |
| 2025-08-04 15:20 | M3.2 | 1.1 | Önnur svæði |
| 2025-07-23 20:44 | M1.4 | 20.7 | Önnur svæði |
| 2025-07-21 16:56 | M2.1 | 5.1 | Önnur svæði |
| 2025-07-10 14:25 | M1.5 | 19.8 | Tjörnes / N-land |
| 2025-07-07 13:00 | M2.0 | 16.7 | Önnur svæði |
| 2025-07-07 12:13 | M2.3 | 3.0 | Önnur svæði |
| 2025-07-07 12:12 | M2.7 | 5.7 | Önnur svæði |
| 2025-07-07 12:08 | M2.0 | 16.6 | Önnur svæði |
| 2025-07-07 12:02 | M1.8 | 4.3 | Önnur svæði |
| 2025-07-07 11:47 | M1.6 | 23.6 | Tjörnes / N-land |
| 2025-06-24 10:17 | – | 10.0 | Önnur svæði |
| 2025-06-02 05:55 | M1.5 | 4.2 | Önnur svæði |
| 2025-05-26 16:06 | M3.2 | 5.3 | Önnur svæði |
| 2025-05-22 22:27 | M1.7 | 4.9 | Önnur svæði |
| 2025-05-14 13:31 | M2.8 | 5.7 | Önnur svæði |
| 2025-05-14 05:52 | M2.6 | 5.4 | Önnur svæði |
| 2025-05-12 20:54 | – | 10.0 | Önnur svæði |
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).