On December 18, 2023, a new volcanic eruption began in Iceland. An increasingly common phenomenon on this island located between two tectonic plates. How is the country coping with the volcanic emergency?
On the Reykjanes Peninsula, located in southwest Iceland, an impressive volcanic eruption began on Monday December 18, 2023 around 10:45 p.m., following an earthquake that occurred an hour earlier.
A rather common phenomenon in Iceland. Indeed, the island is located at the junction between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates. “This means that the eastern part of the island is moving away from the western part by 2 centimeters per year.“, explained on franceinfo the two specialists in vulcanology who manage the GeoTales account on X (ex-Twitter).
A region that has been calm for 900 years
For this new issue of “1:15 p.m. Saturday” (X, #1:15 p.m.), direction the Far North, land of volcanoes. A little less than a month ago, a new volcano emerged from the ground in Iceland, expelling fountains of lava over several kilometers and even threatening a nearby town, Grindavik, and its 4,000 inhabitants. The area had been under surveillance for weeks, when a large crack appeared in the middle of the homes.
In 2021, this region in the southwest of the country, which had remained calm for nine hundred years, was already experiencing a first eruption. An awakening of volcanoes visible on earth but also underground, and intense volcanic activity but without impact on populations. But since November 2023, scientists have been on alert: the threat has moved closer to buildings. A crack in the city then earthquakes followed by an eruption on December 18… How is Iceland coping with this impressive increase in volcanic eruptions?
A documentary by Thibault Pomares, Frédéric Capron and Alexandre Adam.
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