News | Iceland Monitor | Thu 11 Jul 2024 | 12.33 GMT

A chart shows changes in the magma inflow in Svartsengi

More inflow of magma in now into the magma chamber beneath Svartsengi than it was in May. Photo/Hörður Kristleifsson

GPS and satellite data show that the inflation at Svartsengi is moving faster than before the eruption began on May 29.

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New danger assessment – continuing lava accumulation

In an announcement on the website of the Met Office, it is said that modelling based on deformation data indicates that magma flow is higher this time than in May.

Jóhanna Malen Skúladóttir, a natural hazard specialist at the Met Office, says that this is a natural development, since there is no current volcanic eruption, while magma accumulates in the magma chamber underneath Svartsengi. This means that more magma is deposited in the chamber now than there was then.

Here is the chart that shows the estimated inflow of magma into the magma chamber beneath Svartsengi. Chart/The Icelandic Met Office

The inflow is less than last year

Skúladóttir notes that the current magma flow is similar to the magma flow in the first quarter of this year, as can be seen in the chart above.

The current inflow of magma is much lower than before the end of the year, but in October and November it was estimated to be up to 9-10 cubic metres per second.