Airlines warned: Iceland is at risk of another volcanic eruption

class=”sc-cffd1e67-0 fmXrkB”>

Iceland’s most active volcano may be facing another eruption: Seismic activity at Grimsvötn in the island’s southeast has been unusually high in recent months, the Icelandic meteorological institute IMO said on Thursday. The volcano is therefore closely monitored.

Authorities raised the alert level for Grimsvötn to ‘yellow’ and warned airlines of the risk of a possible outbreak. According to the IMO, there are increasing signs of an eruption at the volcano in the southeast of the island, which lies beneath Europe’s largest glacier, Vatnajökull. Accordingly, a glacial channel has formed near the volcano.

Already four volcanic eruptions in the last two years

With more than 30 active volcanic systems, Iceland is the largest and most active volcanic area in Europe. The island nation in the North Atlantic Ocean lies on the so-called Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which separates the Eurasian and North American plates.

Only in December did a volcano erupt on the Reykjanes Peninsula, southwest of the Icelandic capital Reykjavik. It was the fourth volcanic eruption in Iceland in two years.

Grimsvötn last erupted in 2011. About 900 flights were canceled due to the ash clouds. Because the volcano is covered with ice, there is a risk of flooding due to melting ice layers in the event of an eruption. (Mrs)

Source: Blick