Earthquake above Lake Laacher: Eifel-volcano shows new activity!

Earthquake above Lake Laacher: Eifel-volcano shows new activity!

In the volcano setting it rumbles! Since November 15, three weak earthquakes near the Laacher Seee volcano have been registered. The latest quake occurred on November 18 at 10:05:46 UTC with a magnitude of 0.6 and a depth of 10 kilometers. These seismic activities are part of a striking trend: In November, a total of over 15 shocks in the Eifel and more than 20 were counted if you include the neighboring Hunsrück. The quakes are in conjunction with fault zones that may be influenced by human activities in the opencast mine.

origin of the vibrations

The quake took place in an area southeast of Kruft, where lava and bims are broken down. Although the vibrations were outside the mining areas, there could be a connection with the work there. There is also evidence that the movements of magmatic fluids in the underground could play a role. In recent years it has been shown that the seismic activity in the region is higher than before, which led to an expansion of the seismic network. Several swarms in depths of over 40 kilometers were discovered, which are probably triggered by magical movements on the border to the asthenosphere.

The scientists suspect that magma rises from the earth's mantle and gets into a flat reservoir in the area of ​​the volcano. The Eifel plum, a magmatic hose, is obviously larger than expected and could even influence the earthquakes in the Hunsrück. Despite these seismic activities, there is no reason to panic: a volcanic eruption in the Eifel is unlikely in the near future. Real estate owners can breathe a sigh of relief, because the region's volcanoes are anything but gone, but an outbreak is rather not to be expected during our lifetime.