Unfavorable weather conditions have disrupted the earthquake monitoring system on Reykjanes Peninsula by dampening small events, resulting in a lower number of detected earthquakes since Saturday, March 2, 2024. Nevertheless, the volume of magma beneath Svartsengi continues to increase, which could result in a new dike intrusion and possibly an eruption with very short notice.
New activity/unrest was reported for 3 volcanoes from February 28 – March 5, 2024. During the same period, ongoing activity was reported for 18 volcanoes.
Magma volume beneath Svartsengi, Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland continues to increase, which could result in a new dike propagation and/or volcanic eruption in the coming days, the Icelandic Met Office (IMO) reported at 14:00 UTC on March 5, 2024. Weather conditions over the next few days could affect IMO’s monitoring system.
The effusive eruption that started two days ago at Fernandina volcano in Ecuador continues on March 5, 2024, with several lava flows on the SSE slope of the volcano.
A new eruption started at Ecuador’s Fernandina volcano in the Galapagos archipelago at 04:50 UTC on Sunday, March 3, 2024. IGEPN volcanologists said deformation data suggests this eruption will be larger than those observed in 2017, 2018 and 2020.
Iceland evacuated its world-famous Blue Lagoon and the nearby town of Grindavík in Reykjanes Peninsula on Saturday, March 2, 2024, due to an intense seismic swarm indicating a new fissure eruption could start any moment.
Increased eruptive activity continues at Mexico’s Popocatepetl volcano on March 1, 2024. The activity over the past 24 hours consisted of 148 exhalations and 1 034 minutes of tremor.
New activity/unrest was reported for 1 volcano from February 21 – 27, 2024. During the same period, ongoing activity was reported for 17 volcanoes.
Strong ash emissions from Mexico’s Popocatépetl volcano on February 27, 2024, produced ashfall over nearby communities and disrupted air travel, with 22 flights canceled at Mexico City International Airport amid safety concerns over volcanic ash in the skies.
Updated modeling shows Svartsengi’s magma volume reached 7.6 million m³ (268.3 million ft³) on February 26, 2024, and is now near or at the eruption threshold. With seismic activity increasing, particularly east of Sýlingarfell, the Norwegian Meteorological Agency has raised risk assessments, marking the Sundhnjúka crater series at high risk and adjusting other zones accordingly.
