Iceland's
massive volcano Katla appears on the brink of a major eruption just days after
officials confirmed they had detected the start of eruptions over the summer.
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Is Katla
about to erupt again?
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Measuring
devices this morning have picked up a large earthquake swarm, usually a
tell-tale sign of a potential volcanic eruption.
The
Icelandic Government last month announced it was increasing monitoring Katla,
which is one of Europe's most feared volcanoes, following a consistent and
strengthening spike of tremors and quakes.
And last
week, officials at the Iceland Meteorological Office confirmed a series of
smaller eruptions had occurred in July strengthening fears of an imminent, much
larger, eruption.
Evidence
gathered by geophysicists showed the magma had risen to the height of the
glacier ice above the volcano causing it to melt.
They said
the high seismic tremors recorded on July 8 and 9 confirmed Katla had become
active and started small eruptions.
Today's
intense swarm of earthquakes started at midnight and dozens of tremors have
been recorded - the strongest with a magnitude of 4 at around 3am.
The
country's Public Civil Emergency Authority (Almannavarnir) has already
confirmed it has increased its monitoring of Katla but are yet to announce an
emergency level.
It follows
news that the country's Minister for the Environment, Svandís Svavarsdóttir,
has now introduced a raft of new measures to evaluate the potential hazard and
estimate the corresponding risk and feasible counter-measures to prevent
accidents and minimise the economic damage.
Studies
indicate that volcanic activity in Iceland rises and falls so that the
frequency and size of eruptions in and around the Vatnajökull ice cap varies
with time.
It is
believed that four eruptions, that have taken place in the last fifteen years,
are the beginning of an active period, during which major eruptions may be
expected every two to seven years.
Data
provided by the Icelandic Meteorological Office confirms seismic activity has
been increasing in the region in recent years, indicating the entry of magma.
According to the report, the Hekla volcano is expected to erupt in the near
future and an eruption in Katla is also impending.
Katla,
which has not experienced a significant eruption for 93 years, is the second
largest volcano on Iceland and its eruption will be felt across Europe.
Last year,
the country's president Ólafur Grímsson warned "the time for Katla to
erupt is coming close, Iceland has prepared and it is high time for European
governments and airline authorities all over Europe and the world to start
planning for the eventual Katla eruption".
It is
believed Katla, named after a vindictive troll of Viking folklore, has the
potential to be much stronger and disruptive than the last two Icelandic
volcanic eruptions that caused chaos across Europe's air space, grounding flights
and closing airports.
Katla is
much larger than its neighbouring Eyjafjallajokull – which erupted last year -
with a magma chamber about 10 times the size.
Volcanologists
warn that if Katla does erupt, the combination of the magma and the large ice
sheet covering the volcano could lead to explosive activity and an ash plume
for weeks, if not months.
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