The last mantle eruptions in Iceland were Leiti and Skjaldbreid shield eruptions more than 5000 years ago. Skjalbreid shield volcano erupted for 100 yrs! This type of low viscous magma with high gas and sulpfur content has not been since ever since! Filmed by Nina today 26.08.21.
Fagradalsfjall Volcano in Iceland delivers basaltic lava from the Mantle of Earth (happened for the first time since Iceland had been settled in 874 AD.) of low viscosity (with high gas and sulfur content) which is able to travel miles away from the volcano. Volcano continues to suprise, already for 6 months. Every week we witness staggaring and unseen events!
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Article from "Icelandic Times":
"ICELAND’S FIRST MANTLE ERUPTION IN HISTORICAL TIMES
Geologist Haraldur Sigurðsson says the eruption is a major breakthrough for earth sciences
“The eruption in Geldingadalur marks a turning point in geological history, where scientists get an insight into the Earth’s mantle beneath Iceland for the first time. I have never seen anything like it in Iceland. This is the first Icelandic mantle eruption in historical time. It is unusual and remarkable that the magma does not come from the crust but from the mantle at a depth of 17-20 kilometres”, says Iceland’s best-known geoscientist, Haraldur Sigurðsson in a conversation with the Icelandic Times from Rhode Island in the USA. He says the eruption was of great importance for geoscientists to view.
“The earth is like a hen’s egg, with three layers in similar proportions. The Iceland’s First Mantle Eruption in Historical Times white is like the mantle of the earth. The earth’s crust is in the same proportions as the shell of the egg and the hot core inside. The magma that is now emerging contains a lot of carbon dioxide CO₂ and sulphur, high temperatures and low viscosity. We know the lava flow from magma chambers well, but the lava flow erupting in Reykjanes does not come from there but from the top layer of the mantle. The continuation of the eruption is, of course, speculation, but this could be the formation of a mound like Skjaldbreið (1,060m), which was formed hundreds of years ago, but the eruption now could last for a short time.” Haraldur says that Krýsuvík has moved about sixteen centimetres to the east and eight centimetres to the north.
Higher temperature than a normal eruption
“The mantle is much hotter than the crust. From the mantle comes this special hot magma that contains large amounts of carbon dioxide. We are seeing a bubbling like a pot on the boil and it is difficult to predict what will happen next. The Geldingadalagos eruption is the first on the peninsula in almost 800 years.” Haraldur says the volcanoes are not connected, but many of them lie in a line. “There is a lot of gas in the magma. As the magma approaches the earth’s surface, the carbon dioxide is released and foams, so the volume of the magma increases. It swells like a milkshake and flows to the surface with bubbling gas and turmoil.”
Increases understanding of the mantle
“This is absolutely magnificent. It is very likely that it will cause a breakthrough and increase our understanding of the mantle under Iceland. We know that the mantle is the main layer of the earth that we never see. It is always covered by the earth’s crust. Getting such emissions from the mantle is very valuable”, says Haraldur.
According to measurements by the Iceland University’s Department of Earth Sciences on the flow and chemical composition of the magma in the eruption in Fagradalsfjall, the lava flow more than doubled in the last week of May. Lava flow increased to 12.9 cubic metres per second from between 5-7 cubic metres per second..."
- Text by Hallur Hallsson.
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Around three months after the volcano first erupted, the lave flow was a steady 12 m3/s (420 cu ft/s), and the lava now covered an area of more than 3 km2 (1.2 sq mi) increasing by around 60,000 m2/d (650,000 sq ft/d). Lava had accumulated 100 m (330 ft) deep around the volcano.
No volcanic eruption had occurred for 800 years on the Reykjanes Peninsula until 19 March 2021 when a fissure vent appeared in Geldingadalir to the south of Fagradalsfjall mountain. The eruption is effusive and still emitting fresh lava as of 26 August 2021. The eruption is unique among the volcanoes monitored in Iceland so far and is expected to develop into a shield volcano. Due to its relative ease of access from Reykjavík, the volcano has become an attraction for local people and foreign tourists alike.
-- By Wikipedia
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