Monitoring Volcanoes on Iceland

The Katla central volcano is among the most active and dangerous subglacial volcanoes in Iceland. The caldera is covered by Mýrdalsjökull, the fourth largest Icelandic glacier (586 km²). The average eruption frequency of Katla is twice per century, with the last major eruption dating back to 1918. The maximum melt water discharge of the torrent accompanying this eruption has been estimated at 300,000 cubic meters per second.

The objective of the ongoing project Hazard Assessment and Prediction of Icelandic Volcanoes is the establishment of a largely operational monitoring service to be employed for risk assessment, early warning, and damage mitigation. To consider as many precursors of an imminent subglacial eruption as possible, a multisource geographic information system has been developed.

Indicated with contour lines, the maps show the subglacial volcano Katla covered by the Mýrdalsjökull glacier. Underneath the surface, reddish dots symbolize earthquake hypocenters. The distribution of the shown earthquake swarm marks a potential eruption site. Regarding the eruption cycle and the increase in seismic activity since 2000, a fresh outbreak releasing huge glacial torrents is expected in the near future.

Courtesy of Ludwig Maximilians University, Department of Earth and Environmental Science.