Researchers say lava originating from the ongoing volcanic eruption in Iceland is making this country expand

Sep 23, 2014 22:03 GMT  ·  By

Earlier this year, towards the end of August, a series of earthquakes hit Iceland. Eventually, fountains of lava shot out from a fissure in the ground, and specialists announced to the world that an eruption was ongoing in this part of the world.

The Holuhraun field, which is part of the country's Bárðarbunga volcanic system, has been coughing out lava for about a month now, and researchers keeping a close eye on the eruption say things appear to be going from bad to worse.

Thus, the lava field has until now covered an area of 14 square miles (approximately 36 square kilometers). What's more, specialist Rikke Pedersen with the University of Iceland says the eruption is literally reshaping the country.

In a nutshell, this researcher argues that, according to evidence at hand, this volcanic event was brought about by the movement of the Eurasian Plate and the North American Plate, which are now distancing themselves from one another.

As detailed by NPR, Rikke Pedersen says that, as these plates are moving away, lava is moving in to fill in the gap created between them. According to the University of Iceland scientist, this phenomenon is causing Iceland to expand.

Despite the fact that this volcanic eruption started just a few weeks ago, it has already produced more lava than any other eruption documented since the late 1940s until present day.