Скачать или смотреть Understanding and predicting volcanic eruptions in Iceland

Volcanoes rank among Earth’s most powerful natural forces, shaping 80% of our planet’s surface. Iceland, known as the land of fire and ice, owes its dynamic terrain to its location on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a tectonic boundary where the Eurasian and North American plates diverge. The frequent and varied eruptions here are a subject of great scientific interest.

RAZOR's Reya El-Salahi meets a team of Volcanologists at the Nordic Volcanological Centre, at the University of Iceland, to find out how they are studying the most recent string of eruptions to uncover new details about this powerful geological process.

The eruptions are taking place on the Reykjanes Peninsula, close to the capital city of Reykjavik. The peninsula had been inactive for nearly 800 years, since the end of the Reykjanes Fires in 1240 AD. It burst into life at the start of 2021 and there have been 11 eruptions so far.

As soon as an eruption begins, Professor Simon Matthews starts his fieldwork collecting molten lava material. He also retrieves chunks of already cooled lava. Back in the lab, these samples are examined under an electron microscope and further processed by grinding and dissolving them. Analyzing the composition of minerals provides critical insights into the inner workings of the volcanic system.

Geothermal energy powers Iceland - heating around 90 percent of its homes and generating more than a quarter of its electricity. It was a chance discovery at the HS Orka Svartsengi geothermal plant, based right next to the recent eruptions, that gave scientists a crucial clue - helping them predict this latest string of volcanic activity.

In the North of the country, The Krafla Magma Testbed, is a new research project hoping to drill into a magma chamber - with the dual aims of refining monitoring techniques to reduce the risk of volcanic disasters, and to develop a new generation of geothermal power. But first they’ll need to overcome some tricky technical challenges before they can harness magma's extreme temperature. They hope their breakthrough can be replicated around the world.

Additional drone footage:
Isak Finnbogason -    / @icelandfpv  
Gylfi Gylfason -    / @justicelandic