Subglacial Activity Detected Under Iceland's Mýrdalsjökull Glacier; No Major Eruption Feared

Iceland's Mýrdalsjökull glacier, a massive ice cap concealing the active Katla volcano, has registered unusual seismic pulses and increased electrical conductivity in the Múlakvísl river, signaling a potential subglacial flood.

Experts at the Icelandic Met Office reported that the pulses were detected at several intervals throughout the day. While the signals initially caused concern, they appear to be subsiding. Jarþrúður Ósk Jóhannesdóttir, a natural hazard specialist at the Met Office, noted that the current activity is less intense than a significant subglacial flood event that occurred two years prior.

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It could be that some floodwater is passing by these sensors right now, and then it shows up with a delay of a few hours on the sensors near the national road. So it could be that some floodwater is starting to move right now. We don't know exactly what is happening, but we will see it better in a few hours. But it looks like it is dying down, and we are of course following the situation closely.

The increased electrical conductivity in the river suggests that meltwater is flowing, a common precursor to or indicator of a jökulhlaup, or glacial outburst flood. However, the accompanying earthquake activity has remained minor, with tremors well below a magnitude of two.

Katla is one of Iceland's largest and most active volcanoes, and its eruptions have historically been associated with significant glacial floods. While the current signals are being closely monitored, Jóhannesdóttir emphasized that the situation is currently calm and does not indicate an imminent major eruption. The Met Office continues to observe the activity, comparing it to past events to assess the potential scale.

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We are comparing it to an event two years ago and how high the values were then, and this is still rather calm compared to that.