Photo Credit and Excerpt from phys.org
Thousands of earthquakes affecting Portugal's São Jorge Island in the Azores in March 2022 were triggered by a vast sheet of magma (molten rock) rising from more than 20km below Earth's surface and stalling just 1.6km beneath the island, according to a new study led by UCL (University College London) researchers.
Much of this ascent occurred with little seismic activity, with most earthquakes occurring after the magma stopped ascending. The magma rose over just a few days—there was enough of it to fill 32,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools, the study suggested.