The eruptions of Iceland’s volcano Eyjafjallajokull in 2010 were apparently triggered by a chain reaction of expanding magma chambers that descended into the Earth, a group of researchers now says.
After nearly two centuries of dormancy, Eyjafjallajokull (AYA-feeyapla-yurkul) erupted many times over the course of 10 weeks. These outbursts spewed a huge plume of ash that generated extraordinary lightning displays, colored sunsets a fiery redacross much of Europe and forced widespread flight cancellations for days.
The eruptions began in 2010 when a fissure opened on the flank of Eyjafjallajokull in March, revealing that it was inflating with magma. An explosion then burst from the volcano’s summit in April, and three more major explosions from Eyjafjallajokull rocked Iceland in May. Analysis of material spewed from the explosions suggests each one involved separate chambers loaded with magma of distinct ages and compositions.
To learn more about what caused this spate of eruptions, the researchers analyzed swarms of microearthquakes during the outbursts. The data suggests the first explosion was rooted in a magma chamber about 3 miles (5 kilometers) below the surface, while the three later major explosions stemmed from magma chambers at depths of about 7 miles (11.5 km), 12 miles (19 km) and 15 miles (24 km).
Credit : Live Science
Picture Credit : Google
