Geothermal activity in Lake Askja

“If it goes on like this, it will end with a volcanic eruption. Not right now, but perhaps in a few months or years. For there will probably be more earthquakes and activity before the eruption. At least we hope so,” says Ármann Höskuldsson, a volcanologist at the University of Iceland’s Institute of Earth Sciences.

He and a team of geoscientists went on a mission to monitor Lake Askja on board the Coast Guard surveillance plane, TF-SIF.

The plane is equipped with a thermal imaging camera and pictures were taken, but Höskuldsson assumes that their post-production work will be completed by the weekend. Three sturdy thermometers were thrown into the water.

“One of the meters will be in 20 meters, one in 5 or 10 meters, and one at the surface. Then it should float for a little while,” Höskuldsson says, noting that results are not expected until after quite a few days.”

Temperature is rising

Over half of the ice that was covering Askjavatn has now retreated. The remaining part of the lake is covered with chipped ice and only a few ice rafts are visible.

A similar event occurred in 2012, when ice sheets began melting in February. Lake Askja was almost ice free just before the Passover.

Unlike what is happening now, no land ice had risen in the prelude to the meltdown in 2012. In addition, the ice has retreated much faster now than in the event 11 years ago.

Then, snow-free areas east and south of Bátshraun lava have emerged.

“These areas that have become snow-free now were not like that last year. That means that the surface temperature is rising, too,” Höskuldsson says.

Biggest eruption in 1875

The last eruption in Askja was in 1961, a lava eruption. During the 1920s there were a few minor eruptions but the biggest eruption of Askja in recent history was in 1875 with a devastating phreatoplinian explosion with ashfall all over the Eastfjords and the ash spread over parts of Scandinavia, Germany and Poland with severe consequences.

Here you can read more about Askja.