At the time of writing, Svartsengi has not erupted since the last eruption which ended on 5th August 2025. The Icelandic Meteorological Office issued an update on 18th August 2026 stating that (we quote):
- “Land uplift at Svartsengi continues at a slow but steady rate
- Seismic activity remains low
- The hazard assessment remains unchanged
Land uplift and magma accumulation are continuing at Svartsengi. The development remains slow but steady. The latest model calculations indicate that approximately 29.1 million cubic metres of magma have accumulated beneath Svartsengi since the beginning of the last eruption in July 2025. The uncertainty range is between 28.3 and 29.9 million cubic metres.
As magma continues to accumulate and pressure increases within the system, the most likely scenario is that a magma intrusion will propagate from Svartsengi into the Sundhnúkur crater row. This could lead to a volcanic eruption. As before, the warning time could be short. Previous eruptions have had warning times ranging from approximately 20 minutes to just over four hours.”
We have updated our earthquake plots from 6th August 2025 to earlier today, 20th August 2026, looking at the area 63.746°N,22.7°W to 63.996°N, 22.1°W. From our plots, we can see that most earthquakes are occurring in or just above the top of the crust. There is more shallower activity under Svartsengi, itself. As there is an aseismic zone up to c.2km depth, we cannot easily predict based on seismic activity alone if, or when, magma will reach the surface.
Armchair Volcanologist
© Copyright remains with the author; all rights reserved, 2026.
Source for the raw earthquake data and the update: Icelandic Meteorological Office
An Armchair Volcanologist 
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