Geologist Haraldur Sigurðsson considers it likely that an extensive fissure in the earth’s crust lies underneath Eyjafjallajökull. Earthquakes, which began there on Friday, appeared in regular lines oscillating from the southwest to the northeast.

Haraldur says on his website that the series of earthquakes that began on Friday is somewhat unusual. “Fourteen quakes appeared in regular lines going from the southwest to the northeast, as the image from the Icelandic Met Office shows [see right]. This isn’t the first time that earthquakes have shown this trend, but this is by far the most significant example. The earthquakes are relatively small, and range from 1 to 27km in depth. It is likely that they follow a specific fissure, fault or open corridor in the crust. This trend is really the main fissure trend in the southern part of the volcanic zone.”

What this means for the eruption is unknown, and it doesn’t really help to predict any future activity. It does, however, shed a light on the source of volcanism in the area and helps geologists further their knowledge of a very geologically active land.

Source: mbl.is
Image: Icelandic Met Office

Labels: Eyjafjallajökull