Dramatic footage shows the crater of the world’s new ‘baby’ volcano collapsing ‘spectacularly’ and spewing ‘spatter bombs’ of lava into the air.
It formed less than two weeks ago when an underground eruption opened a 1.7-mile fissure on Iceland’s Reykjavik peninsula, southwest of the capital, Reykjavik.
The region was preceded by a ‘seismic swarm’ of 7,000 earthquakes.
According to the University of Iceland research group, tectonic activity slowed for about a week after the eruption but picked up three days ago with ‘a major change in vent activity overnight’.
In a Facebook post, the university’s Laboratory of Volcanology and Natural Hazards said the crater first ‘filled to the brim with lava and fountains began to shoot spatter bombs beyond the crater rim’.
Be careful! Dramatic footage shows Earth’s new ‘baby’ volcano crater ‘spectacularly’ collapsing and spewing ‘spatter bombs’ of lava into the air
The volcano, which is located on Mount Fagradalsfjal, began erupting on Monday after increased seismic activity in the area. It is located 20 miles from Keflavik Airport
Timeline of formation of ‘baby’ volcanoes
July 4: Seismic activity increases on Iceland’s Reykjavik Peninsula
July 10: An underground eruption opens a 1.7-mile-long fissure in the ground.
July 18: A ‘major change in vent activity’ at volcano causes lava to ‘fill to the brim’
July 19: Lava spills over the crater and the crater collapses
Within hours, a small fissure formed, causing lava to spill over the crater and eventually lead to the collapse of a portion of the crater rim.
This resulted in a river of lava flowing north and west of the volcano.
Ingibjörg Jonsdóttir, associate professor of geography at the University of Iceland, said there was some ‘concern’ because two people were in the area an hour before the crater collapsed.
‘There is no way they would have had time to escape and survive they got there an hour later, as the collapse happened so quickly,’ he told MailOnline.
‘Of course they shouldn’t have gone there as the area very close to the crater is closed and extremely dangerous.’
According to the Icelandic Met Office, there is no widespread risk to the public as the immediate vicinity is uninhabited.
However, some residents living on the nearby Reykjanes Peninsula were confined to their homes and encouraged to sleep with their windows closed due to the risk of toxic gas.
The recent eruption is classified as a fissure eruption, which typically does not produce large explosions or significant amounts of ash in the stratosphere, the Icelandic government said.
Scientists say the temperature of the lava ejected from the crater was about 2,192°F (1,200°C).
The volcano formed less than two weeks ago when an underground eruption opened a 1.7-mile-long fissure on Iceland’s Reykjavik peninsula, southwest of the capital Reykjavik.
The recent eruption is classified as a fissure eruption, which typically does not produce large explosions or significant amounts of ash in the stratosphere, the Icelandic government said.
Warning: Scientists now plan to monitor the volcano’s behavior amid fears that any lava flows could ignite wildfires and reduce air quality in the region.
‘The garter became unstable and collapsed,’ Jonsdóttir said.
‘It was slowly filling up with lava causing pressure on the newly formed and destabilized crater walls.
‘This is not unusual in eruptions and was expected – although the exact location or timing was not known beforehand.
‘It was wonderful that it was caught on camera, obviously, not least because it was quite a large collapse, changing the flow of the lava flow to the west.’
Experts from the Institute of Volcanology and Natural Hazards said the lava flow on the opposite south side of the volcano stopped shortly after exiting the crater.
Scientists now plan to monitor the volcano’s behavior amid fears that any lava flows could ignite wildfires and reduce air quality in the region.
Earlier this week, officials warned of toxic gas and urged hikers to avoid the area.
‘Police, after consultation with scientists, decided to restrict access to the site of the eruption due to the massive and lethal toxic gas contamination,’ the Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management said.
Concerns: Earlier this week, officials warned of toxic gas and urged hikers to avoid the area
Scientists say the temperature of the lava ejected from the crater was about 2,192°F (1,200°C).
The area, known as the Fagradalsfjall volcano, has erupted twice in the past two years, despite being near Keflavik Airport, Iceland’s international air traffic hub.
Despite being near Keflavik Airport, Iceland’s international air traffic hub, the area, widely known as the Fagradalsfjal volcano, has erupted twice in the past two years and caused no damage or disruption to flights.
A 2021 eruption in the same area produced lava flows for months. Millions of people gather to see the wonderful scene.
Iceland, which sits atop a volcanic hotspot in the North Atlantic, has an eruption every four to five years on average.
The most catastrophic in recent times was the 2010 eruption of the Ijafjallajokull volcano, which sent a huge cloud of ash into the atmosphere and largely closed airspace over Europe.
More than 100,000 flights were grounded, millions of international passengers were stranded and air travel was halted for days due to concerns that the ash could damage jet engines.
A live stream of the volcano can be seen here on the website of the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service.
How can researchers predict volcanic eruptions?
According to Eric Dunham, associate professor at Stanford University’s School of Earth, Energy and Environmental Sciences, ‘Volcanoes are complex and there is currently no universally applicable way to predict eruptions. In all likelihood, there won’t be.’
However, there are indicators of increased volcanic activity, which researchers can use to predict volcanic eruptions.
Researchers can track indicators such as:
Volcanic infrasound: When lava lakes rise into an open vent volcanic crater, the pitch or frequency of the sound produced by the magma increases, a sign of a potential eruption. As exhalation: As magma approaches the surface and pressure decreases, gases escape. Sulfur dioxide is one of the main constituents of volcanic gases, and its increasing amount is a sign of an increasing amount of magma near the surface of a volcano. Ground deformation: Changes in the surface of a volcano (volcanic deformation) occur as swelling, sinking, or cracking, which may be caused by movement of the Earth’s crust due to movement of magma, gas, or other fluids (usually water) underground, or by movement along fault lines. Swelling of a volcano’s can signals that magma has accumulated near the surface.
Source: United States Geological Survey
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