Record Speed of Magma Flow in Iceland
An unprecedented rapid flow of magma has been detected in Iceland, according to a recent report by New Scientist. Scientists monitoring the 15-kilometer-long volcano rift in Iceland used satellites and sensors to observe the “fastest magma flow” on record.
The speed of the magma flow in the dyke near the town of Grindavik in southwest Iceland was measured at 7,400 cubic meters per second on November 10, 2023. Freysteinn Sigmundsson, a researcher at Reykjavik University in Iceland, stated that this flow was the fastest he had ever seen into a surface crack.
The team’s calculations revealed that the magma flow in November was about 100 times faster than measurements taken during volcanic eruptions in the Fagradalsfjall region in 2021, 2022, and 2023. The fissure through which the magma flows was reported to be 8 meters wide, and the rapid flow caused destruction to several buildings and civilian infrastructure.
The findings of this research have been published in the journal “Science”. With these new insights into the behavior of volcanic activity in Iceland, scientists hope to further understand and potentially predict future eruptions with greater accuracy.
