It wouldn't be a topic of current interest if it were just another volcano about to erupt, but the fact is we're talking about Bardarbunga, Iceland's largest volcano. With a height of 2009 meters above sea level, it last erupted in August 2014. Recent seismic signals are announcing an imminent eruption. eruption is possible.
Constantly monitored by geologists due to the significant seismic activity, it indicates that the pressure within the caldera is increasing. The Bardarbunga caldera measures 70 square kilometers, is 10 kilometers wide, and has a depth of 700 meters. Due to its great height and location, the volcano is covered in ice, and the crater is hidden beneath it.
The experts on alert
Geophysicist Páll Einarsson of the University of Iceland commented that the reason earthquakes are occurring in this area is because the volcano is inflating. That is, the magma pressure in the chamber is increasing. This indicator, according to Einarsson, is a sign that the volcano will erupt in the near future, and could occur in the coming years. Earthquakes alone do not cause the eruption, but they are indicators of the process. To better understand this relationship, you can consult the relationship between earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
The signals began in February 2015, at which time its last eruption also ceased. As now, that last eruption in 2014 was also preceded by earthquakes, which began in 2007. What is also certain is that the air chaos it would cause would have significant costs. To understand it, just look at the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull, which in 2010 threw thousands of tons of mineral ash into the air, and 10 million passengers did not take the flight. In total of those dates, it is estimated that for the European economy the cost was 4.900 billion dollars.
