Iceland In Risk Of Major Volcanic Eruption After 18,000 Earthquakes In 7 Days

A volcanic eruption could soon occur in Iceland as over 18,000 earthquakes hit the island in just the last week alone. On Wednesday, authorities reported around 2,500 earthquakes and since midnight, on Thursday, over 800 earthquakes have been reported.

Reuters

The most impactful earthquake from these was of the magnitude of 5.6 on the Richter scale that can cause damage to already weak structures.

Most seismic activity has been spotted near the Reykjanes Peninsula, a densely populated region in the southwest region of Iceland, just below the capital city of Reykjavik. The aforementioned peninsula is also home to two volcanoes -- Mount Keilir and Mount Fagradalsfjail and experts believe that these volcanoes are going to erupt anytime now.

In case your mind has created an image of a dramatic mountain spewing red liquid and ash into the sky, you¡¯ll be surprised to know that this volcanic eruption won¡¯t be like that. This will be a fissure eruption where lava will steadily surface from a fissure in the ground.

As a precautionary measure, for domestic and international air travel, authorities have elevated the volcanic aviation colour code for the Reykjanes Peninsula from yellow to orange -- the third-highest level with red indicating imminent or ongoing volcanic activity.

Iceland¡¯s meteorologists are continuously analysing sensor and satellite-based monitoring data along with radar images they get from satellites in space.

Iceland volcano activity

Fissure eruptions are not very common, but mostly that¡¯s the kind of eruptions that the Reykjanes has seen in the past, that can even go on for weeks.

Moreover, Iceland is a hotspot for seismic activity due to its placement -- it sits on the tectonic plate boundary known as the Mid Atlantic Ridge -- a long range of mountains that range all the way to the Atlantic ocean with most of them underground.

The Mid Atlantic Ridge is exposed (not underwater) in a few places and Iceland is one of them -- right at the centre of the ridge.

AFP

Most recently Iceland had an eruption near Eyjafjallajokull in the southern part of the nation in 2010 that caused quite the kerfuffle, resulting in aircraft getting grounded and destruction of ice sheets in the mountain crater due to torrents of molten rock, with ash, steam high in the air.

Dr Freysteinn Sigmundsson, a geophysicist at the University of Iceland said in a statement to the Guardian, ¡°'This event is completely different to Eyjafjallaj?kull ¨C it is very unlikely that it will disrupt air transport. This will probably be a lava eruption with little explosive activity.¡±

How are volcanoes and earthquakes connected?

According to Oregon State University, there is some connection between earthquakes and volcanoes, where one causes the other. But most earthquakes are caused by movement of earth's tectonic plates, not movement of magma.

But since Iceland was formed by volcanic activity, and has active volcanoes, earthquakes directly beneath a volcano are caused by the movement of magma, according to OSU. The magma exerts pressure on the rocks until it cracks the rock and starts building pressure, which is ultimately relieved in the form of a volcanic eruption.