Iceland's Katla volcano rumbles – but is she ready to blow?

One of Iceland ’s largest volcanoes is in the habit of erupting every 50 years or so, but has been quiet since 1918. Now she is rumbling in her slumberWill she or won ’t she?Recent media reports have suggested that the Icelandic volcano Katla may be poised to blow, following two large earthquakes near to the volcano this summer. Katla ’s last eruption, in 1918, produced five times more ash than its neighbouring volcano – Eyjafjallajökull – did in 2010, and Katla’s 98-year period of dormancy is unsettling for a volcano that averages an eruption approximately every 50 years. Adding to the jitters is the knowledge that two of Katla’s previous eruptions have followed eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull.Everyone agrees that Katla is due an eruption, butvolcanologists are refusing to become excited just yet. They point out that similar quakes have happened in previous decades and that increased earthquake activity is common in late summer, as glacial melt-water increases the pore pressure in underlying rocks. Furthermore, there is no sign of volcanic swelling or rhythmic earthquakes, that often accompany magma movement.Continue reading...

Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - October 2, 2016 Category: Science Authors: Kate Ravilious Tags: Volcanoes Iceland Geology Science Natural disasters and extreme weather Source Type: news