VOLCANO MADNESS: [Geology2] Hekla volcano (Iceland): strong inflation suggest volcano could be close to erupting

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

[Geology2] Hekla volcano (Iceland): strong inflation suggest volcano could be close to erupting

Hekla volcano (Iceland): strong inflation suggest volcano could be close to erupting

Tuesday Apr 30, 2013 | BY: T

GPS-measured deformation of HEKR station (Univ. Iceland), north of the volcano

Map of GPS stations on Hekla

The famous Icelandic volcano is showing further signs that indicate an eruption could occur in a near future. Significant rapid inflation, concentrated in the northern part of the volcano, has been detected since early April and likely represents accumulation of rising magma underneath.
Already in mid March this year, an earthquake swarm, volcanic tremor and deformation caused an alert, because it was believed that this was caused by rapid movement of magma under the volcano.
The last eruption of the volcano was in March 2000, and it is estimated that by now, a significantly larger volume of magma has since then accumulated beneath the volcano. This would mean that a new eruption should be expected to be larger than the last one. Hekla's eruptions normally begin with a powerful explosive phase, and could pose a significant hazard to anyone in close (less than 10 km) proximity during the onset of it.

http://www.volcanodiscovery.com/hekla/news/33165/Hekla-volcano-Iceland-strong-inflation-suggest-volcano-could-be-close-to-erupting.html--