Unbelievable facts
It seems that Icelandic volcanoes will still make themselves felt. Scientists say Katla, another volcano in Iceland, may reveal itself soon. In addition, volcanologists are concerned about the current eruption of an underwater volcano near the Canary Islands.
The Katla eruption could lead to much more serious consequences than the debuts of Eyjafjallajokull and Grimsvotn. Katla is located in southern Iceland. This is a large volcano with a height of approximately 1512 meters and a crater diameter of 10 km. There is a glacier on the slope of the volcano, and if Katla does “explode”, the glacier will begin to melt, and this will lead to catastrophic flooding on the entire southeastern coast of the island.
The volcano began to show signs of life in the middle of this year. Scientists marked the start of its activity on July 9. A relatively small earthquake occurred, although it caused flooding and destroyed several bridges. As a result, some regions of the country were isolated for several days. In November 2011, scientists recorded more than 500 earthquakes near the Katla caldera. All of the earthquakes were weak, but this is a sign that the volcano's magma has begun to move.
Katla has a very bad reputation in Iceland. The eruptions of this volcano were observed as early as the 8th century. The volcano erupts every 40-80 years. Katla woke up in 1918, 1934 and 1955. The 1918 eruption was the strongest in the 20th century.
However, the most powerful eruption of the volcano took place in 1755. The melting of the glacier in the area of volcanic activity created a water flow of 200,000-400,000 cubic meters per second. Eyewitnesses of that event wrote that a powerful river rushed down the slopes of Katla, destroying the heaviest mountains on its way and capturing them into its stream.
The Katla eruption in 1783 was even more catastrophic. The volcano has been raging for 8 months. Legends say that the eruption ended in something like a nuclear winter that lasted more than a year. Katla is also connected to the island's other volcanoes. Volcanologists have determined that Katla's “activities” in 920, 1612, 1821-1823 were preceded by the eruption of the famous Eyjafjallajokull. This volcano is located just 20 km from Katla. This could mean that an eruption of a volcano with an unpronounceable name could herald the Katla eruption. However, lately, the volcano has shown no signs that an eruption is imminent.
At the same time, an underwater volcano located south of El Hierro Island (Canary Islands) has been worrying residents since September 2011. The volcano has now “entered” the third phase of its eruption. Scientists have recorded a giant whirlpool under the crater of an underwater volcano. The pool is about 50 meters in diameter and the water is much warmer inside than outside.
Many people living in the southern part of the island are forced to leave their homes due to the unbearable smell of sulfur. The CO2 content in the air has tripled, which means that the volcano is not going to calm down. The center of the eruption is getting closer to the surface, which means that a new island will soon appear in the city of El Hierro. Will the volcano continue to erupt when it comes out of the water?
It is worth noting that there is a geological connection between Katla and the volcano near El Hierro. They both belong to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge system. All of Iceland is also part of this ridge; it just rose above the water surface. Thus, the entire Atlantic can wake up after the “ring of fire” in the Pacific Ocean.