Volcano active close to the Limburg border | 1Limburg

The soil under the German Eifel Mountains, the area roughly in the triangle of Aachen, Trier and Koblenz, rises by about one millimeter every year. Scientists say this in the scientific journal Geophysical Journal International.

Inactive
“Most scientists assumed that the volcanic activity in the Eifel was a thing of the past,” said Corné Kreemer, professor of geodesy at the University of Nevada (Reno, USA) and lead author of the scientific paper. “But if you connect the dots, it looks like something is brewing beneath the heart of northwestern Europe.”

Research
The data from thousands of GPS antennas in Europe was examined for the study by the University of Nevada and the University of California. This showed that the soil in and around the Eifel moves both horizontally and vertically.

“The Eifel area is the only region in the study where the ground movements are significantly greater than expected,” adds Kreemer. “A rising plume could explain the observed patterns and the speed of the ground movements.”

Limburg
Most soil movement was measured roughly around Nürburg. But the movements extend to Luxembourg, East Belgium and Limburg. In South Limburg, the soil moves about 0.75 to 1 millimeter per year. In Central Limburg, this is decreasing to about 0.25 to 0.75 millimeters per year, the data shows.

Earthquake
According to the scientist, this does not mean that there is immediately a great risk of an eruption or earthquake. “But we do keep an eye on the area to map out possible risks.”