Iceland has experienced a boom in tourism over the last decade, as more and more visitors discover (and then share on social media) the unparalleled beauty and natural wonder this island nation provides.
The Grímsvötn volcano in Iceland is the one famous for the 2011 eruption, which sent ash 20km into the atmosphere and literally cracked the island in half. Visitors to Iceland can now walk and swim in the cracks and ravines left behind by the massive eruption.
Worryingly, as Iceland attempts to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic which has cancelled thousands of flights and almost flatlined the tourism industry, it seems the volcano may be gearing up to erupt again.
Recent signs have geologists worried, causing authorities to raise the current threat level for the volcano and putting locals on alert.
Truly a 'land of ice and fire', Iceland’s Grímsvötn volcano lies almost wholly beneath the ice, and when it pumps out heat (as volcanoes tend to do) it melts the ice, creating a subterranean glacial lake that flows out, sometimes causing flooding and landslides in nearby areas.
Geologists have been monitoring the volcano closely after the 2011 eruption, and have been noticing telltale signs of an impending eruption.
Images of the Grímsvötn volcano after its 2011 eruption.
The volcano has been slowly inflating (like a balloon) as new magma moves into it’s ‘plumbing system’. This increases the thermal activity that melts even more ice, and there has also been an increase in earthquake activity in the area, which is another significant precursor to an eruption.
Grimsvotn #volcano in #Vatnajokull #Iceland starting to show signs of potential #eruption, such as increased output of #magma gasses, large amounts of melted water in crater, minor #earthquakes, and geothermal activity. Timeframe that scientists predict are weeks/months... pic.twitter.com/3pX7Zivbrl
— Gisli Olafsson (@gislio) June 11, 2020
An intense barrage of earthquakes lasting for several hours is a big signal that magma is moving upwards towards the surface and an eruption is imminent.
Going by historical data which tracks ‘patterns’ in the Grímsvötn volcanoes activity, scientists are hopeful that the eruption will not be as large as the 2011 one. However, with climate change and global warming, historical data isn’t always an accurate prediction of future activity.
Very ‘Grim’ news indeed.
Jenna Rank
Jenna has visited over 50 countries across the world, and hopes to visit 100 by 2025
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