Volcanoes in the News
Worlds apart, in the Atlantic and the Paci c, two notorious volcanoes are back in the news.
Some 20 miles from the capital of Reykjavik in Iceland, a series of earthquakes accompanied a volcanic eruption. The Fagradalsall volcano, which erupted over six months in 2021, then went quiet, has begun erupting again aer a magnitude 4.6 earthquake. During its earlier eruptions, it became a tourist attraction, but ocials have urged folks to stay back this time because of high levels of hazardous gases. e earthquake immediately preceding the eruption was just one of over 3,000 recorded within a week-long period.
At the same time, in Japan, an eruption of the Sakurajima volcano in the southern prefecture of Kagoshima on the western island of Kyushu resulted in evacuation orders for folks living within two miles of the crater. e emergency alert was raised to the very highest level. Should the alert be expanded, it could aect 600,000 people living in Arimura-cho, Furusato-cho, and Kagoshima City. e Sakurajima volcano has experienced explosive activity for centuries, so while disconcerting, this is nothing new for nearby residents.