Land has started rising again on the Reykjanes peninsula, RÚV reports. The uplift has been detected north of Mt. Keilir and south of the Fagradalsfjall eruption site. The land around Fagradalsfjall fell during the eruption itself, most likely because of the magma streaming out of the chamber beneath the surface.
According to GPS measurements, land fall began to subside at the end of August and then rise again around the middle of September. The uplift is, however, minimal: only one to two centimetres at the highest points.
According to the Met Office’s models, the magma accumulation deep within the earth is the most likely cause of the uplift, although scientists also believe that it is connected to a month-long wave of seismic activity that began at the southern end of Keilir at the end of September. No dislocation has been observed on the surface as of this time, which might mean that magma is getting closer to the surface.
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Magma accumulation under volcanic systems sometimes occurs after eruptions. As such, the current uplift is not necessarily an indication that magma will move toward the surface in the near future. It’s possible that this process would instead take years or even decades, although that is difficult for scientists to predict with much accuracy.
There has been no lava flow at Fagradalsfjall since September 18. Gas emissions are still being detected at the eruption site, but only in very small quantities.
