The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

'Gentle Volcano Archetype': Why Iceland's New Eruption Isn't Worrying

2022-08-04T16:59:59.762Z


Since Wednesday, a volcanic eruption has taken place in Iceland, not far from the capital Reykjavik. According to specialists, the eruption does not represent


A fiery spectacle.

Since Wednesday, within "the mountain of the beautiful valley" or Fagradalsfjall in Icelandic, we can observe a 300 m crack resulting from a volcanic eruption.

The phenomenon took place one kilometer from the volcano of Mount Fagradalsfjall, in the south of the country.

Intense seismicity had been observed in the last weeks preceding the eruption.

At the last count on Monday, more than 10,000 tremors had been recorded by seismographs from the Icelandic Meteorological Office, including two with a magnitude greater than 5.

A volcanic eruption particularly marked the spirits: that of Eyjafjöll, again in the south of the island, in 2010. After 187 years of inactivity, the volcano had spat out millions of tons of ash for long months, considerably impacting global air traffic.

So should we have the same fears for this phenomenon affecting Fagradalsfjall?

We take stock.

An eruptive fissure in question

This volcanic eruption is called an “eruptive fissure”.

It is neither more nor less than a type of volcanic eruption, by intrusion of magma into the earth's crust.

The latter causes the opening of a fracture, which eventually reaches the surface of the Earth and releases lava, resulting from the magma.

Here, due to the absence of water and the existence of a very fluid magma, there was no explosive phase.

“We knew it could happen, where it was going to happen, and she quietly vents.

But no risk of explosion is to be expected,” explains Simon Bufféral, professor of geology at the ENS.

An eruption linked to that of 2021

The area belongs to the Krysuvik volcanic system, located in the Reykjanes peninsula in the south of the country.

If you are passionate about volcanic activity in Iceland, it will not have escaped you that the region had already experienced a volcanic eruption in 2021. And, according to specialists, the two phenomena are linked.

“The current eruption took place as an extension of the previous fissure.

It had already opened near Mount Fagradalsfjall, which erupted for six months last year, from March 19 to September 18,” says Simon Bufféral.

VIDEO.

" It's so beautiful !

": in Iceland, the eruption of a volcanic fissure attracts the curious

Volcanic activity, which arouses the curiosity of tourists and locals, is only “one facet of the crisis which has been shaking the plate limit in Reykjanes for two years”, according to the professor, for whom “frequent earthquakes constitute a much greater hazard”.

No "risk of explosion"

According to specialists and the Icelandic Institute of Meteorology, no danger is to be feared.

For Simon Bufféral, "this type of eruption represents a very low risk, and this volcano in particular is the archetype of the

nice

volcano  ".

What we observe in the area is an “eruptive crack, which is quietly leaking fluid lava, without risk of explosion, in a fairly well-defined and unpopulated area”, details the expert in geology.

According to him, “if a danger exists, it would be that a similar crack spreads to the city of Grindavik.

And again, from a human point of view, it would obviously allow time to evacuate.

“ Sayings confirmed by the Icelandic President, Guðni Jóhannesson, in the media Iceland Monitor: “I just want people to be careful (…).

If this eruption is like the last, there will be enough time and no reason to rush.

The authorities, however, call for caution if one approaches the phenomenon, in particular in the face of gas fumes, such as sulfur dioxide.

These can rise in the immediate vicinity and pose a health hazard.

Young children should also stay away from the rash area.

Source: leparis

All news articles on 2022-08-04

You may like

Trends 24h

News/Politics 2024-03-28T06:04:53.137Z

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.