TheVolcanic Eifel orVulkan Eifel (German:Vulkaneifel) consists of three areas ofvolcanic activity, known as theWest Eifel,High Eifel, andEast Eifelvolcanic fields. Volcanic Eifel is a region in theEifel Mountains in Germany that is defined to a large extent by itsvolcanic geological history. Characteristic of the volcanic fields are their typical explosioncrater lakes ormaars, and numerous other signs of volcanic activity such as volcanictuffs,lava streams andvolcanic craters, for example theLaacher See. The Volcanic Eifel is still volcanically active today. One sign of this activity is the escaping gases in the Laacher See.
The Wingertsbergwand gives an idea of the amount of volcanic ash ejected during the eruption of the Laacher See volcano.
The Volcanic Eifel stretches from theRhine to theWittlich Depression. It is bordered in the south and southwest by theSouth Eifel, in the west by Luxembourg and BelgianArdennes and in the north by theNorth Eifel including theHohes Venn. To the east the Rhine forms its geographical boundary, with no volcanicity immediately beyond it.
The Volcanic Eifel is divided into three natural regions:
The centre of the Volcanic Eifel is the region around Daun and Manderscheid and the areas within theMayen-Koblenz district.
The landscape of the Volcanic Eifel is dominated by recent volcanism. Volcanic craters, thickpumice andbasalt layers and maars create a diverse landscape that clearly witnesses to very recent events in geological terms.
The entire Volcanic Eifel covers an area of about 2,000 km2 (770 sq mi) and as of 2007[update] has a population of about 200,000.
Thetephras deposited by past eruptions of the Volcanic Eifel are lithological deposits that are radiometrically dateable viaargon-argon dating ofK-feldspar grains. These have in turn been utilised to ascertain the ages of climatic changes such as transitions fromglacial tointerglacial states during thePleistocene.[2]
There is thought that future eruptions may occur in the Eifel, because:[3][4]
Each year the Eifel rises by about a millimetre.
Geophysicists found that crust under the Eifel is thinner than most continental crust, suggesting that under the Eifel is a hot zone where magma is rising.
Persistent small earthquakes and underground heating.
Map of flood lake that may happen if the Rhine is blocked by a voluminous eruption in the Eifel[5]
In 2020, Professor Kreemer noted that Eifel was the only region within an area of Europe studied whereground motion happened at significantly higher levels than expected.[6] It is possible that such movements originate from a risingmagma plume.[6] This activity does not imply an immediate eruptive danger, but might suggest an increase in volcanic and seismic activity in the region.[6]
