The majority of Svartsengi is located in the municipality of Grindavíkurbær, with the exception of the northeastern end of the fissures which are found in that of Vogar, both in the region of Suðurnes.

[1] Two other volcanic systems surround Svartsengi, namely Reykjanes to the west and Fagradalsfjall to the east,[1] both also consisting of a set of fissures, cones and craters oriented in a parallel manner.

[3] Thus, although they have similar geological and topographical characteristics, and function on the same tectonic principle in a rift context, they also possess notable differences in the geochemical composition of their lavas, and also a certain individuality in their topography and location, which has tended volcanologists to consider them with time as systems distinct from each other.

[10] Several hundred tremors were detected daily with hypocenters between 6 and 1.5 kilometres (3.7 and 0.9 mi) deep, the vast majority of magnitude less than 3 but a few exceeding this value, up to 4.5 for the most powerful.

[15] The frequency and intensity of the earthquakes dramatically increased on 10 November, with 20,000 tremors recorded by that time, the largest of which exceeded magnitude 5.3.

This was due to the movement of magma into a dike beneath the Sundhnúkur craters (Sundhnúkagígaröðin), which subsequently propagated south-west under the town.

[21] The Icelandic Meteorological Office stated that the eruption stemmed from a fissure with a length of about 3.5 km (2.2 mi), with lava flowing at a rate of around 100 to 200 cubic metres per second (3,500 to 7,100 cu ft/s).

An Icelandic Civil Defence official told RUV that the eruption had happened quickly and appeared to be "quite a large event".

[24] The next eruption commenced on the early morning of 8th February 2024,[25] stopped the next day, and was followed by a diking event that did not reach the surface on 2 March 2024.

[2] The proximity to the most populated cities in the country, including Reykjavík, and the significant geothermal potential of the site led to the construction of the Svartsengi Power Station, commissioned in 1977.