Although Katla was once the favourite in terms of Icelandic volcanoes set to erupt, it has since calmed down – but another contender could be on the horizon.
Vísir reports that Katla has calmed down a lot since 2010, when President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson told the BBC, amongst others, that the eruption at Eyjafjallajökull was just a warm-up for Katla.
Professor of geophysics at the University of Iceland Magnús Tumi Guðmundsson told reporters, “I believe a Katla eruption is less likely than I believed about two or three years ago.”
However, when asked which volcano he does believe will erupt next, he specifically named Hekla.
“If Hekla continues its development as it has since 1947, or 1970, then we can expect another eruption soon.” Readers should bear in mind, though, that by “soon” he means anywhere from the next 50 to 100 years, although precise eruption prediction is nearly impossible.
Hekla last erupted in 2000, but has been on high alert since at least earlier this year as increasing geothermal activity was detected in the area.
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