The “Island of Fire and Ice” is shaking: A magma flow beneath Iceland recently lifted parts of the earth. A clear harbinger of an imminent eruption, experts believe.
Reykjavik – Things are simmering in Iceland. Geological activity underground in the Nordic island nation is not unusual – the country is considered one of the most volcanically active areas in the world. Statistically speaking, Iceland experiences a volcanic eruption every four years. The reason for this is its unique tectonic structure. The next outbreak is probably imminent.
For almost two weeks, underground movements have been causing a number of tremors on the Reykjanes peninsula, not far from the capital Reykjavik. The Icelandic weather agency Vedurstofa announced on Monday (November 6) that it had registered a total of 1,300 earthquakes within 24 hours. The likelihood of a volcanic eruption is constantly increasing. Already in the summer, thousands of earthquakes indicated an impending eruption in Iceland.
Huge magma flow underground in Iceland is lifting earth
Three of the most recently recorded earthquakes in the “Land of the Volcanoes“ exceeded magnitude 3 – the strongest reached magnitude 3.6. According to the Icelandic Meteorological Agency, this occurred about three kilometers northeast of Mount Thorbjörn. The ground there has so far risen by seven centimeters, indicating an impending eruption, the agency said. A magma flow flows underground there that is significantly more extensive than during previous volcanic activity.
Below 2 | Micro | Not noticeable |
2 to 3 | Extremely light | Hardly noticeable, but measurable |
3 to 4 | Very easy | Noticeable, rare damage |
4 to 5 | Light | Visible and audible, furniture moves |
5 to 6 | Medium | Minor damage to buildings |
6 to 7 | Strong | Destruction within a radius of up to 70 km |
7 to 8 | Large | Destruction over wide areas |
8 to 9 | Very large | Hundreds of kilometers affected |
9 to 10 | Extremely large | Thousands of kilometers affected |
Greater than 10 | Global catastrophe | Not happened yet |
Source: Federal Geothermal Association |
The public broadcaster RÚV in Iceland is monitoring the situation at Thorbjörn via Live stream. According to the broadcaster, however, there are so far no signs that the underground magma is getting closer to the earth’s surface and emerging from the ground.
Reykjanes Peninsula
The Reykjanes Peninsula is located in Iceland, southwest of the capital Reykjavik. In the past three years, earthquake swarms in this region have indicated volcanic eruptions three times: most recently, an eruption took place there in July 2023, which lasted several weeks but did not pose a major threat to inhabited areas.
Possible volcanic eruption in Iceland: Authorities mainly concerned about geothermal power plant
If the magma finds its way to the surface in the next few days, it would mean a volcanic eruption. Like the news portal volcanoes.net explained, it is currently not possible to determine an exact location of the eruption. Nevertheless, an eruption on the peninsula near Iceland between Thorsbjörn and Eldvörp is most likely due to the significant ground uplift.
The Icelandic authorities are particularly concerned about a geothermal power plant in the region. Right next door is the so-called Blue Lagoon; The thermal outdoor pool is one of the main attractions in Iceland among tourists. However, the communities that may be affected are not unprepared: there is already an evacuation plan for the community of Grindavík in the event of a volcanic eruption. However, an evacuation is only carried out if human life is at risk. Vídir Reynisson, the director of Icelandic Civil Defense, said this at a press conference on Monday (November 6).
Only in In July 2023, a volcano in Iceland spewed fire and lava, photographers captured the impressive, but not without danger, natural spectacle. An eruption is also imminent in Italy: a supervolcano on the southern Italian coast is currently being closely monitored, experts fear a violent eruption, similar to an explosion would equal. There have already been several earthquakes in the region, some of them strong.
This article was created using machine assistance and was carefully reviewed by editor Romina Kunze before publication.
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