More than 250 earthquakes hit Iceland’s Herdubreid volcano – A new major eruption ahead?

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Since the last 24 hours a huge seismic swarm of more than 250 earthquakes is rattling Herdubreid volcano in Iceland.

A M3.3 tremor hit right under Mount Herdubreid this morning. The area has active volcanoes around and the last major eruption there was Bardabunga fissures, lasting about 6 months and leaving a new lava field known as Holuhraun in its wake.

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From midnight last night, a swarm of at least 250 tremors took place in the area around Mount Herdubreid, the biggest one measuring M3.3. Picture via Arctic Heli Skiing

According to the Icelandic Met Office, no volcanic tremors have been detected so far. The area is being monitored.

Since midnight last night, a swarm of 250 tremors – and always growing – is taking place in the area around Mount Herdubreid. Most of them measure between M1 and M2 magnitude and are very shallow – 2 and 5 km. But the biggest quake – measuring 3.3 on the Richter scale – hit approximately 5 km under of the mountain.

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Is this earthquake swarm in this volcanic active region of Iceland sign of the next big volcanic eruption in the area? via Facebook

Mount Herdubreid is a tuya in northeast highlands of Iceland. It is situated to east side of the Odadahraun lava desert formed in eruptions from Trolladyngja. Askja volcano and Bardabunga volcano are both close by.

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The M3.3 earthquake under Mount Herdubreid on March 18, 2017

In 1998 an intensive and large intrusion started at the hilariously named Upptyppingar volcano. That intrusion has since then moved to Herdubreid where it met an old iceage magma system under the volcano proper and a feeding system formed at depth making way for new magma.

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The huge earthquake swarmm hitting the Herdubreid volcano in Iceland right now!

During the last couple of days an intense earthquake swarm has been taking place with an M3.3 as the largest event. By now the magma has risen to 3km depth and may if this seismic unrest continues come to the surface. Regardless if an eruption occurs now or not, it is quite likely that an eruption will occur in the upcoming years.

Herdubreid is one of the world’s most pristine and perfectly shaped Tuya volcanoes.

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