Fagradalsfjall Volcano Eruption Risk Remains High
Fagradalsfjall volcano, Iceland
The Fagradalsfjall volcano, situated on the on the Reykjanes Peninsula in southwestern Iceland, could erupt any moment according to Icelandic Met Office.
Last weekend, underground lava flows and seismic activity caused by the Fagradalsfjall volcano prompted the Icelandic government to evacuate 4,000 people from Grindavík. On Wednesday 15 November, the risk of eruption remains high as magma is believed to be very close to the surface. A sinkhole that opened up in the town continues to grow. The Met Office is closely monitoring it.
On Tuesday 14 November, Icelandic authorities began the construction of protective canals to redirect lava flows away from the Svartsengi power station, located near the world-famous Blue Lagoon landmark. The Svartsengi geothermal station is one of the most important heating plants in the country, providing hot water for the entire Reykjanes Peninsula’s district heating system, including the fishing town of Grindavík.
Close to the Surface
Benedikt Ófeigsson, of the Icelandic Met Office, believes that magma in Grindavík may be as close as 500 metres from the surface. The detection of increased level of sulphur dioxide (SO2), which prompted another evacuation of a small number of residents who had been allowed in Grindavík, supports this theory. Seismic activity has also become less intense, another sign that the magma is close to the surface.
Rikke Pedersen, from the Nordic Volcanological Centre based in Reykjavik, said, “Less seismic activity typically precedes an eruption, because you have come so close to the surface that you cannot build up a lot of tension to trigger large earthquakes.”
Speaking to Icelandic radio station Rás 2, geophysicist Freysteinn Sigmundsson explained that as the magma inflow speed has reduced significantly, any eruption that may occur won’t be as catastrophic as it would have been had the magma broken though the surface at the much greater speed seen in the earlier stages.
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