Powerful Earthquakes Reported At Bárðabunga Volcano

Five powerful earthquakes have been reported at Bárðabunga stratovolcano.

“Yes something triggered some powerful earthquakes this morning,” Bryndís Ýr Gísladóttir, a specialist in natural hazards with the Icelandic Met Office, told Vísir.

Most earthquakes directly beneath a volcano are caused by the movement of magma. The magma exerts pressure on the rocks until it cracks the rock. Then the magma squirts into the crack and starts building pressure again.

Bryndís insists however, that currently there are no signs of magma unrest in the area and that earthquakes have been common since the volcanic eruption in Bárðabunga ended in 2015. A similar incident happened as recently as January.

If you find yourself curious with a bit of time to kill, you can follow seismic activity in Iceland on the Icelandic Met Office’s website.