Mount Hekla in Iceland Reportedly Close to Eruption
- 10 years ago
Known in the Middle Ages as the Gateway to Hell, Mount Hekla, one of the most active volcanoes in Iceland might soon be due for an eruption. A geophysicists from the University of Iceland has found evidence that magma is building underneath the surface of the volcano, which could lead to an eruption in the near future.
Known in the Middle Ages as the Gateway to Hell, Mount Hekla, one of the most active volcanoes in Iceland might soon be due for an eruption.
A geophysicists from the University of Iceland has found evidence that magma is building underneath the surface of the volcano, which could lead to an eruption in the near future.
Scientists keep tabs on the conditions of Hekla, because it has been known to erupt violently with little warning.
The last time Hekla erupted, which was in 2000, it only gave a 79-minute warning. Shortly following its warning earthquake, the volcano spouted for nearly 2 weeks.
But this time there is reportedly more magma under the surface of Hekla than there was back in 2000.
Estimates say that the volcano has erupted more than 20 times over the past thousand years, and it has created one of the largest amounts of lava compared to any volcano in the world over the past millennium.
Safety measures are being planned in case of an eruption, including warning signs that will be posted nearby in both Icelandic and English, and a system is set up so that every cell phone close to Hekla will get a text message in the case of an eruption.
Known in the Middle Ages as the Gateway to Hell, Mount Hekla, one of the most active volcanoes in Iceland might soon be due for an eruption.
A geophysicists from the University of Iceland has found evidence that magma is building underneath the surface of the volcano, which could lead to an eruption in the near future.
Scientists keep tabs on the conditions of Hekla, because it has been known to erupt violently with little warning.
The last time Hekla erupted, which was in 2000, it only gave a 79-minute warning. Shortly following its warning earthquake, the volcano spouted for nearly 2 weeks.
But this time there is reportedly more magma under the surface of Hekla than there was back in 2000.
Estimates say that the volcano has erupted more than 20 times over the past thousand years, and it has created one of the largest amounts of lava compared to any volcano in the world over the past millennium.
Safety measures are being planned in case of an eruption, including warning signs that will be posted nearby in both Icelandic and English, and a system is set up so that every cell phone close to Hekla will get a text message in the case of an eruption.