Eruption In Grímsvötn Is Unlikely

There are no signs that an eruption will start in Grímsvötn in the next few days due to the glacial melt, although scientists say it cannot be completely ruled out, reports Morgunblaðið.

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Falling glacial water levels are thought to trigger eruptions, which is why it was expected to happen in Grímsvötn. However, according to a geophysicist Magnús Tumi Guðmundsson, there are no indications of an eruption.

“We haven’t seen any signs of an eruption. There are no earthquakes that would indicate that magma would be erupting soon,” he comments. Magnús Tumi adds that even though there are no signs indicating an eruption, scientists cannot be held responsible for what the volcanoes may pick up.

Magnús explains that now the conditions are not prone to eruption, unlike in 2004, when an eruption occurred in Grímsvötn after a glacial flood. Back then, it was quite clear that an eruption would follow the flood, he claims. “Now, however, it is likely that the flood is not enough to trigger an eruption at Grímsvötn, because the volcano is not close enough to erupt.”