Eruption imminent? Fagradalsfjall volcano activity in Iceland; 3300 earthquakes have been recorded during the last 48 hours with a further 20,000 in the last week; there remains a high risk of strong earthquake activity with magnitudes between M6,0 to M6,5 because of crustal stress changes
Dense earthquake activity in Fagradalsfjall volcano. Copyright of this image belongs to Icelandic Met Office.
With almost 800 quakes mag 4 or higher and an astonishing 26 above mag 6 or higher rocking the eastern margin of the Australia plate since the first day of 2021 resulting in the biggest major quake of the year at mag 8.1 and the highest total of major quakes recorded in the first 65 days of the year ever, you would think other seismic events around the world couldn't get any more dramatic than what is happening down under right now, well, think again. Thousands of miles north of the eastern margin of the Australia plate during the last 48 hours over 3300 earthquakes have been recorded by the Icelandic Met Office with a grand total of more than 20,000 this week. We could well be witnessing an imminent eruption here as well as another Great Honshu event that happened along the Eastcoast of Fukushima in 2011 down-under off the Eastcoast of Australia and Northern New Zealand.
According to Iceland Geology, there remains a high risk of a strong earthquake activity with a magnitude between M6,0 to M6,5 because of crustal stress changes that are connected to all the inflation that is now taking place in the Fagradalsfjall volcano. Harmonic tremor has not been detected again since Wednesday but that might change without warning.
The earthquake activity is mostly limited to small earthquakes. The risk of the eruption has not been reduced with the current change inactivity. The magma dyke is at the shallowest at 2 km but it has an average depth of 5 km to 8 km depth. Most earthquake activity is closest to Fagradalsfjall mountain. The dyke is situated between Fagradalsfjall mountain and Keilir mountain. Fagradalsfjall volcano has not erupted in the last 12000 years. There has not been any magma activity observed in the Krýsuvík volcano and Reykjanes volcano (Svartsengi volcano?). All earthquake activity in those volcanoes is due to crusting stress changes due to inflation from the Fagradalsfjall volcano.
An epic year so far for volcano and seismic activity around The Pacific Ring Of Fire!
In all 42 major quakes, mag 6 or higher have rocked the planet in just 65 days and we could be well on the way to recording the highest number ever recorded in a year which was 207 in 2011, the year of the Fukushima disaster. What makes the incredible number even more exciting is that the majority of the major quakes have been located along the eastern margin of the Australia plate. 27 of them in fact. What makes this total more incredible is that in the same period in 1921, a hundred years ago only 7 major quakes, mag 6 or higher had been recorded globally according to the USGS Data Base. Something big could well be about to unfold along with the "record-breaking" start to the year along the eastern margin of the Australia plate and the timing could well be crucial with the 10th anniversary of the Fukushima disaster next week.
Of the 42 major quakes recorded this year only two, a mag 6.2 recorded in Mongolia in January and a mag 6.3 recorded in Grecce earlier this month have been outside the Pacific Ring Of Fire. Stranger still 36 of the 42 have been on the Western side of the Pacific Ring leaving the Western Coast of the US still waiting for the "big one!"
To emphasise the incredible total of major quakes so far this year, we have to go back to earlier years for comparison. Last year in the same period during the dark beginning of 2020 a total of 24 major quakes, mag 6 or higher had been recorded around the globe, coincidently not one recorded along the eastern margin of the Australia plate which is dominating this year's activity. Back in 2019, just 20 major quakes had been reported up to March the 6th, just 50% of this year's total. In 2018, 24 major quakes had been reported and in 2017, just 15, 2017 went on to record the lowest amount of major quakes this century. In 2016, 24 and in 2015, just 18. Coincidentally, the highest number ever recorded in a year was 207 in 2011, the year of the Fukushima disaster, however, in that year up to March the 6th only 30 major quakes, mag 6 or higher had been recorded.With the incredible
As well as major quakes, volcanic activity is also busting records around the globe with 27 volcanoes erupting around the world at this moment with 24 of them around the Pacific Ring Of Fire in tandem with the massive quake activity.
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