© EuronewsThe Grímsvötn is located in a remote area of central Iceland.
Iceland has raised its eruption alert level for
the country's most active volcano, Grímsvötn, after several recent earthquakes.
Authorities said on Monday that
one of the nearby quakes was recorded at a magnitude of 3.6.
But although seismic activity had increased, officials say they have not detected any tremors that have caused a surge in underground magma.
The volcano last erupted in 2011, generating a major ash cloud that partially disrupted air traffic across Europe and cancelled 900 flights.
However, the eruption was much less severe than the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in 2010, which cancelled 100,000 flights cancelled and stranded ten million passengers.The Grímsvötn volcano
is located in an uninhabited and inaccessible area in the centre of Iceland, under an enormous glacier.
It had already been under surveillance after a flood linked to the rupture of a glacial lake, which could trigger an eruption.On Monday, the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) raised its alert level to "orange" due to "high seismic activity".
A "red" level warning means that an eruption is imminent and the emission of volcanic ash will likely disrupt air traffic.
"This seismic activity may be due to the decrease in pressure above the volcano, as the floodwaters leave the Grimsvötn subglacial lake," the IMO said.
Recent eruptions of Grimsvötn have occurred approximately every five to ten years.
Comment: On the 4th December, Volcano Discovery
reported on the glacial flooding at Grimsvötn:
The meltwater rate has been increasing since the last update. The IMO's hydrologists measured 1600 cubic meters per second at 10:15 and 12:20 local time today in Gígjukvísl.
The latest measurements confirm estimated forecasts and if continue to be in line with them, the glacial flood will likely reach its peak on Sunday. Based on the latest data, the maximum discharge rate is expected to be about 4000 m3/s.
© IMOEastern view from Skeiðarárjökull glacier where meltwater flow runs from Grimsvötn
The ice sheet has continued to drop and reached already about 27 m in total subsidence.
Higher-than-usual gas emissions levels have been detected at the glacier rim of the volcano.
Recent eruptions at the volcano occurred every 5-10 years and based on current measurements and observations, volcanologists agree that an impending eruption is highly expected.
The following tweets, translated by Twitter, show the flooding, deformation, and melt at Grimsvötn volcano:
'The water that was under the glacier that covers the volcano Grímsvötn , began to come out. A Jökulhlaup began to be created that rose more than 4 m, it is a matter of days before we begin to see columns of steam and ash in the main crater.'
1st Tweet: 'The last flyby of the ice cap at Vatnajökull shows that part of the ice sheet covering the volcano's craters Grímsvötn is collapsing. The volcanic danger traffic light has been raised to orange due to the recent earthquakes and collapses.'
2nd post: 'The boiler limits of Grímsvötn also show shear and collapse effects. After the water comes out, the volcanic system is losing pressure which may generate an eruption in the next few days, creating plumes of steam and ash.'
Whilst Grímsvötn volcano may be considered to erupt with some regularity, this comes amidst an uptick of seismic and volcanic activity elsewhere in Iceland, as well as across much of the planet:
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Comment: On the 4th December, Volcano Discovery reported on the glacial flooding at Grimsvötn: The following tweets, translated by Twitter, show the flooding, deformation, and melt at Grimsvötn volcano: Whilst Grímsvötn volcano may be considered to erupt with some regularity, this comes amidst an uptick of seismic and volcanic activity elsewhere in Iceland, as well as across much of the planet: