If there is an eruption, however, it will not be similar to the eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano that stopped air traffic in 2010.
Jari Strömberg,
Kaisa Uusitalo
In Iceland, the coastal town of Grindavik has been evacuated in case of a possible volcanic eruption and a state of alert has been declared for the area.
There have been strong earthquakes in the area of the Reykjanes peninsula in recent days. The Blue Lagoon spa, which is popular with tourists, was also closed on Thursday as a precaution.
According to the Finnish expert, Icelanders know how to prepare well for situations like the one going on now.
– People have been evacuated from the affected area. Directly where the eruption can occur, there are no people in danger, says the geologist and research director Jussi Heinonen from Åbo Akademi.
– But if the eruption takes place under the sea, it can become eruption clouds, which can spread gases and particles into the surrounding environment. They can cause, for example, respiratory problems. That risk is there. Iceland is well prepared for such a possible event.
Eruption very possible
According to Heinonen, local researchers consider it more likely that an eruption will occur than that it will not occur.
– Now it seems that more rock melt, or magma, would enter the crack in the earth’s crust than in previous volcanic eruptions in Iceland. In other words, there can be quite a large eruption known.
Heinonen says that there are different options for demolition.
– The fissure has opened below the city of Grindavik – or it is a ten kilometer long fissure and that city is on top of it – and one option is that it erupts on land or near the city, resulting in flowing lava eruptions like before.
– Or it can erupt already in the sea. The crack has already progressed under the sea, and there may be explosive eruption clouds then.
The trend of Kivisula is worrying
Heinonen says that the number of earthquakes is not essential when predicting an eruption.
– They have occurred quite low in the crust, which means that the crack seems to be progressing upwards and the rock melt is clearing space from there. The direction of the magma is towards the earth’s surface, and that is an alarming sign here.
There is also a chance that the volcanoes will not follow the predictions. They can suddenly stop feeding rock melt and nothing will reach the surface.
– During the next week, we will already be wiser about this, Heinonen thinks.
Will not cause harm to air traffic
In 2010, the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull stopped air traffic in the northern hemisphere due to its cloud of smoke and ash.
According to Heinonen, there is no danger of such a thing now.
– The eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull mountain took place under the glacier, and it became a huge eruption cloud. Now the rock melts that have erupted on the Reykjanes peninsula are very calm flowing and do not contain many gases. In other words, one large explosive eruption is not expected.
Heinonen believes that there will be an eruption similar to the ones that have happened in recent years.
Most likely, the eruption will cause peaceful lava flows, which, however, can be destructive to the infrastructure of the eruption site.