Iceland: Eruption sputters but the show isn’t over yet

NordenBladet — After a brief decrease in activity the eruption at Fagradalsfjall has resumed releasing a stream of lava.  

Geologists at the University of Iceland have noticed a change in the behaviour of the volcano, with less activity being visible on the surface. The pool of lava in the main vent does not rise as high as before, resulting in less lava flowing over the landscape and fewer instances of jets of lava shooting into the air.

According to the scientists it appears more time passes between each bout of activity at the eruption site which may mean either a decrease in the flow of magma or that the flow is being directed towards underground pathways.

“It seems like the activity in the vent is changing – the rise in intensity/vigour is not as steep as it used to be or in other words, each episode is taking longer to get going. Why this is happening is not clear,” says a post published today on the Facebook page of the University of Iceland natural disaster team.

“One possibility is that proportionally more of the magma rising from depth is now diverted to inner pathways within the lava. It is also possible that the flux up (i.e., the magma supply) through the eruption conduit has been reduced. It is also possible that the eruption is entering a new phase, but which path it is following will become evident in the coming days and weeks.”

The eruption site continues to see a steady flow of visitors with an estimated 1,000 to 3,000 people making the trek to Fagradalsfjall every day.

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