Is Katla volcano going to erupt in 2017

Katla volcano getting ready to erupt.
Katla volcano getting ready to erupt.

ReynirReynir Ragnarson is an 83 year old and has been watching Katla closely for more than 60 years.

"I do regular surveillance flights with my airplane and Katla has been like a magnet to me. It's fascinating to observe the changes and I hope that I can still see the big eruption in my lifetime as this will be a true wonder of nature." says the resident of the small town of Vik in south Iceland.

Reynir is not the only one who is watching Katla closely. There has been a lot of recent activity inside the womb of the volcano which is partially covered by the Mýrdalsjökull glacier. Katla has never been a tame one, with frequent eruptions every few decades. Nevertheless, there hasn't been a fierce blow-up for quite some time now and there are quite a few signs showing that one might be imminent.

According to geophysicist Paul Einarsson “There hasn’t been much seismic activity in Katla volcano over the past four decades.”  

“However, since last fall, Katla has been restless. You now have to go back more than 40 years to find comparable activity of similar magnitude.” as Paul Morunbladid said today. He also added “The volcano is now quite volatile, but the situation in the magma chamber is not necessarily changing day by day, more like month by month.” According to him, all of the four major volcanos – Katla, Hekla, Grímsvötn and Bárðarbunga are showing signs of increased activity and preparing for the next eruption.

So are we going to become witnesses of another one of Katla's fiery displays? And how soon is soon?

Katla Volcano


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