A powerful solitary 3.4 magnitude earthquake was detected in the eastern edge of the Katla caldera yesterday afternoon. The powerful earthquake which hit the subglacial volcano was preceded by one small quake, but no other activity was detected in Mýrdalsjökull, according to the Icelandic Meteorological Office.
This latest quake follows a wave of activity in the past couple of weeks. The last major swarm took place on December 4.Katla has been quite active in the past few weeks, although the activity has been somewhat slower in the past 48 hours, when just seven earthquakes were detected.
Katla, which is hidden beneath Mýrdalsjökull glacier, competes with the giant volcano Bárðarbunga, located beneath Vatnajökull glacier for the title of Iceland's most powerful and dangerous volcano. It is one of Iceland's most active volcanoes, and while it is somewhat less powerful than Bárðarbunga, an eruption in Katla could pose greater threats to civilians, not least due to glacial flooding caused by a sub-glacial volcanic eruption, but also the challenges posed by the ash cloud generated by such an eruption.
A powerful solitary 3.4 magnitude earthquake was detected in the eastern edge of the Katla caldera yesterday afternoon. The powerful earthquake which hit the subglacial volcano was preceded by one small quake, but no other activity was detected in Mýrdalsjökull, according to the Icelandic Meteorological Office.
This latest quake follows a wave of activity in the past couple of weeks. The last major swarm took place on December 4.Katla has been quite active in the past few weeks, although the activity has been somewhat slower in the past 48 hours, when just seven earthquakes were detected.
Katla, which is hidden beneath Mýrdalsjökull glacier, competes with the giant volcano Bárðarbunga, located beneath Vatnajökull glacier for the title of Iceland's most powerful and dangerous volcano. It is one of Iceland's most active volcanoes, and while it is somewhat less powerful than Bárðarbunga, an eruption in Katla could pose greater threats to civilians, not least due to glacial flooding caused by a sub-glacial volcanic eruption, but also the challenges posed by the ash cloud generated by such an eruption.
