Mie Olsen
November 14, 2023
Introduction:
Read more here: https://www.courthousenews.com/iceland ... ruption/COPENHAGEN, Denmark (Courthouse News) — Iceland has been holding its breath since a series of earthquakes hit its southwestern Reykjanes Peninsula last week, leading to fears of seismic activity around the volcanic mountain Thorbjörn.
Iceland’s Meteorological Office has categorized the volcano as showing "heightened unrest with increased likelihood of eruption." On Monday alone, over 900 earthquakes were detected in the active area between the towns of Sundhnúkur and Grindavík.
A 9-mile-long corridor with magma reaching up to 800 meters (2,625 feet) below ground appeared and has caused fear that the movement could lead to a series of dangerous eruptions, which generally happen when the molten or semi-molten rock reaches the surface and explodes as burning lava. However, in Iceland there is also a risk of underwater explosions.
Bill McGuire, a volcanologist and emeritus professor of geophysical and climate hazards at University College London, estimated on Monday that an eruption over the next days is still highly likely.
He said that on land, an eruption would most likely “be dominated by spectacular lava ‘fountaining’ and the production of lava flows,” while “if magma breaks the surface at the southern end of the fracture, it could erupt beneath the sea, which would be a more explosive event.”
