Second-largest volcano in Iceland showing signs of unrest as 130 earthquakes rumble within five hours

This map from the Icelandic Meteorological Office's earthquake monitoring system shows the locations of the earthquakes, with the black circle indicating the Bárðarbunga caldera outline. Bárðarbunga is located under Iceland's most extensive glacier (Vatnajökull) in the center of the country. It is 2,300 feet deep with a total area of 25 square miles

Important Takeaways:

  • One of Iceland’s largest volcanoes is on the brink of erupting, experts have warned.
  • Bárðarbunga – the second-largest volcano in the country – has been hit with a swarm of 130 earthquakes within just five hours.
  • This is a key sign an eruption could be imminent, according to The Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO).
  • As a precaution, the aviation color-code for Bárðarbunga has been raised from green to yellow, indicating ‘heightened activity above normal background levels’.
  • Bárðarbunga – located under Iceland’s largest ice cap (Vatnajökull) in the center of the country – last erupted a decade ago, prompting a red travel alert.
  • Earthquake activity has been increasing gradually in Bárðarbunga over recent months and four earthquakes measuring magnitude 5 or higher were detected in 2024, the department added.
  • In the past four years, the Icelandic volcanoes of Fagradalsfjall and Sundhnúkur have hit the headlines for consistent eruptions, although these are further southwest, closer to capital city Reykjavík.
  • Many of these eruptions were preceded by earthquakes with magnitudes somewhere between five and six.

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