Vala uses fiber optics to predict volcanic activity

Dr. Vala Hjörleifsdóttir, a seismologist and associate professor at the University of Reykjavik’s Department of Engineering, has been working on new technology that uses fiber-optic cables to predict volcanic activity.

Today, Friday, September 25, she is giving a presentation on the technology at the Science and Innovation Conference, which is being held at Gróska from 9 a.m. to noon. She will also take part in a panel discussion at the conference. On Saturday, Vala and her colleagues will demonstrate how the technology works at Rannís’ Researchers’ Night 2026 at Laugardalshöll.

“In today’s presentation, I’ll give a brief overview of this technology, where it can be used, and what we are using it for. The presentation is open to the public, and there will be around 100 students from upper-secondary schools there, among others.

There will also be a panel discussion featuring a general discussion about science. Most of the people joining me at this event are from the innovation industry,” says Vala. Her presentation is titled Fiber Optics, Volcanoes, the Environment and Energy.

Today’s Science and Innovation Conference is open to the public as long as there is space—the auditorium at Gróska seats 250 people—and registration is available here.

“We’ll run the fiber optic cable everywhere”

At the Researchers’ Night on Saturday, which is open to everyone and does not require registration, visitors will be able to see for themselves how fiber-optic cables can be used to measure and predict various phenomena, including volcanic activity.

“On Saturday, we’ll have a booth where we demonstrate how this fiber-optic technology, which we use for all kinds of applications, works. We’ll have the actual measuring device there, connected to a fiber-optic cable.

We’re going to run the fiber-optic cable everywhere and let people make signals and do other things with it. That way, we can demonstrate how the technology works in practice. We’ll also show how the device responds when the fiber-optic cable heats up or is shaken,” Vala explains.

Warns of an impending eruption

Naturally, there is no volcanic activity at Laugardalshöll. Nevertheless, the measuring device being used at the Researchers’ Night is the same type used to predict volcanic activity.

“It’s essentially exactly the same technology we use to see when and how magma is rising through the Earth’s crust during volcanic eruptions.

What happens is that the magma expands the Earth’s crust, and the fiber-optic cable is buried in the ground. Depending on how the ground responds to the influx of magma, the cable is either stretched or compressed.

This fiber-optic monitoring system that we use—the measuring device—sends signals to the Icelandic Meteorological Office and provides a warning of an impending volcanic eruption,” Vala says in conclusion.