Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

SoylentNews is powered by your submissions, so send in your scoop. Only 19 submissions in the queue.
posted by janrinok on Monday July 01 2024, @08:33AM   Printer-friendly

Arthur T Knackerbracket has processed the following story:

https://www.sciencealert.com/icelands-volcanic-eruptions-could-continue-for-decades-study-finds

After almost 800 years of relative dormancy, volcanoes on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula are returning to life with renewed ferocity. Eight eruptions have occurred since 2021 and new research suggests the upsurge in volcanic activity stems from a shallow pool of magma just 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) wide and only 9-12 kilometers below the surface.

Alerting authorities to this magma source is critical for the ongoing safety of residents in the region, with researchers claiming the magma pool could feed similarly-sized volcanic eruptions in the area for years or maybe decades more.

"A comparison of [current] eruptions with historical events provides strong evidence that Iceland will have to prepare and be ready for this volcanic episode to continue for some time, possibly even years to decades," says geologist Valentin Troll of Uppsala University in Sweden, who led the study.

Troll and his colleagues used seismic wave data from volcanic eruptions and earthquake 'swarms' to map the subsurface of the Reykjanes Peninsula in southwest Iceland, which is home to most of the country's population.

They found the 2021 eruptions of the Fagradalsfjall volcanic system were fed by a pocket of magma that then oozed along geological lines to Sundhnúkur, where volcanoes have been spewing lava since late 2023.

With both eruption zones expelling lavas with similar geochemical 'fingerprints', the findings suggest a "connected magma plumbing system" joins the two volcanic systems. Historical data indicates this shared magma pool likely formed sometime between 2002 and 2020, was recharged again in 2023, and continues to supply magma from shallow depths to surface fissures and vents via slightly sloped pathways. Melting rock deeper in the mantle replenishes the magma pool, so it may fuel eruptions for decades to come.

"There is a need for an improved understanding of the magma supply system that feeds the ongoing eruptive events," Troll and colleagues write in their published paper.

"Increased eruption frequencies should be expected for the foreseeable future."

Now that the magma pool has been identified, it can be mapped and monitored to prepare communities for what might eventuate.

Repeated evacuations would be an obvious but very necessary disruption to ensure people's safety. Frequent eruptions may also damage key infrastructure such as geothermal power plants that supply Iceland with electricity and heat, and experimental carbon sequestration facilities, injecting carbon dioxide (CO2) and other gaseous pollutants into porous rocks.

[...] "We don't know how long and how frequently it will continue for the next ten or even hundred years," says study author Ilya Bindeman, a volcanologist at the University of Oregon.

"A pattern will emerge, but nature always has exceptions and irregularities."

The study has been published in Terra Nova.

Journal Reference: DOI: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ter.12733


Original Submission

This discussion was created by janrinok (52) for logged-in users only, but now has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
(1)
  • (Score: 4, Interesting) by looorg on Monday July 01 2024, @10:17AM (1 child)

    by looorg (578) on Monday July 01 2024, @10:17AM (#1362631)

    I'm starting to wonder if this is how they grow their island. Some ancient shamanistic rituals to summon volcanoes. Give it a few millennia and Iceland will be huge.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surtsey [wikipedia.org]

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 01 2024, @03:25PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 01 2024, @03:25PM (#1362666)

      Fire giant, or maybe some other creature. I bet Valentin Troll of Uppsala University in Sweden, might have an opinion. :p

  • (Score: 4, Informative) by Ingar on Monday July 01 2024, @10:24AM (1 child)

    by Ingar (801) on Monday July 01 2024, @10:24AM (#1362632) Homepage Journal

    If you want to stay informed about the situation in Iceland, I can recommend the following Youtube channels:

    Shawn Willsey [youtube.com] Geology professor with an interest in Iceland, for the science
    Just Icelandic [youtube.com] an Icelandic following the situation with drone footage, for a local perspective

    --
    Love is a three-edged sword: heart, mind, and reality.
  • (Score: 3, Funny) by jb on Tuesday July 02 2024, @05:24AM

    by jb (338) on Tuesday July 02 2024, @05:24AM (#1362764)

    Finally, a Troll worth listening to!

(1)