Stand: January 16, 2025, 11:29 a.m
Von: Ines Alberti
PressSplit
A series of violent earthquakes is troubling researchers in Iceland. The Bárðarbunga volcano beneath Europe’s largest glacier is in danger of erupting.
Reykjavik – An ash cloud that hung over large parts of Europe for days, more than 100,000 canceled flights, economic damage of five billion US dollars – these were some of the consequences after the Icelandic volcanic system Eyjafjallajökull erupted in 2010. Are we threatened with a similar scenario in the not too distant future? A volcanologist raises the alarm because another, much larger volcano in Iceland is preparing to erupt.
After a violent series of earthquakes, a possible volcanic eruption on Europe’s largest glacier is expected in Iceland. Magma is accumulating around ten kilometers below the Bárðarbunga volcano in the northwest of the Vatnajökull glacier, said the head of the Icelandic Meteorological Agency’s volcanoes and earthquakes department, Kristín Jónsdóttir German press agency.
Volcano eruption in Iceland imminent: Bárðarbunga could trigger glacier flooding
In recent months, activity has increased and larger earthquakes have been experienced in the region because pressure is building up underground. “And that can only lead to one thing: eventually there will be an eruption,” Jónsdóttir concluded. However, it is extremely difficult to predict when this will happen – it may even be years before this happens. There could also be very different types of eruptions: If one occurred under the glacier, it would lead to catastrophic floods, warned Jónsdóttir.
Magnús Tumi Guðmundsson, professor of geophysics at the University of Iceland, also warns of this phenomenon. “If an eruption were to occur within the caldera (cauldron-shaped structure of volcanic origin, editor’s note) or on its slopes, it would trigger a glacial flood,” Guðmundsson told the Icelandic news portal RÚV. Glacial floods, also known as glacier runs, can occur when glacial lakes overflow – for example because large amounts of ice melt due to a volcanic eruption. These sudden and rapid floods can have far-reaching consequences for people, animals, nature and infrastructure.
Bárðarbunga in Iceland: Eruption of glacier volcano likely
Vatnajökull is Europe’s largest glacier outside the polar regions. Around the huge volcanic system Bárðarbunga, which is partly covered by the ice colossus and partly not, the most violent earthquake swarm in ten years occurred on Tuesday (January 14th) – at that time there was an eruption that lasted for months. An estimated 130 earthquakes have now been recorded in just a few hours, including 17 with a magnitude of 3.0 or higher and one with a magnitude of 5.1.
The Icelandic Civil Protection Authority then declared the insecurity level. This means that it is closely monitoring the situation and its potential threat to people, the environment and infrastructure. Since then, the earth has calmed down again.
Bárðarbunga volcano: Activity commemorates Eyjafjallajökull-Ausbruch 2010
The volcanic danger on an Icelandic glacier is inevitably reminiscent of the eruption at Eyjafjallajökull, which paralyzed international air traffic for days in 2010 with a kilometer-high ash cloud. Like back then, Bárðarbunga is a volcano covered by a glacier. But the one back then was significantly smaller, says volcanologist Jónsdóttir.
In the event of an eruption within the glacier area, one could expect a similar situation as back then, she says – including an ash cloud with possible consequences for air traffic. However, the consequences depended on how powerful the eruption was, how long it lasted and where the wind was blowing. At the same time, we learned from Eyjafjallajökull back then, which means that the impact on air traffic would probably be smaller this time.
Eruption of Bárðarbunga volcano in Iceland could affect large region
The situation at Bárðarbunga is significantly different than on the Reykjanes Peninsula southwest of the capital Reykjavik, where so-called fissure eruptions have been occurring again and again since 2021. In each case, a usually kilometer-long crack in the earth forms, from which red-hot lava bubbles up, as in 2024 near the port city of Grindavík.
Despite the regularity of these natural spectacles on the Reykjanes Peninsula, volcanologist Jónsdóttir points out that the threat of such eruptions is always real – and the next one is already imminent. “We expect the next eruption at the beginning of February or at the end of January, so very soon,” she says. However, its consequences are largely localized, while Bárðarbunga could affect a much larger region.
However, geophysicist Guðmundsson has hope in the event of an eruption: “Bárðarbunga is in some respects very well located because eruptions here occur far from inhabited areas. The nearest settlement is 70 kilometers away, which makes it incomparable to the situation in Grindavík.” However, in the event of a glacier flood, the consequences are likely to be more far-reaching. The Mendenhall Glacier near Juneau in Alaska, for example, triggered a tidal wave that left the entire valley under water. (ial/dpa)
