Are the Auvergne volcanoes extinct?
After the eruption of the Piton de la Fournaise in Reunion, the volcanoes of Auvergne, still dormant, are attracting the vigilance of scientists.
- At the end of January, the Piton de la Fournaise erupted for the twentieth time in less than ten years. For two days, this volcano offered a breathtaking lava spectacle on the island of Reunion. In total, France has around ten active volcanoes overseas, such as Soufrière and Mount Pelée in the Antilles. It also has volcanoes in mainland France, almost all in Auvergne, but these are not active. However, some of them are not extinct. They are only “asleep” according to vulcanologists.
- In Puy-de-Dôme, the renowned Magmas and Volcanoes laboratory monitors the Puys chain which extends from Clermont-Ferrand to Riom. Since 2023, the team has identified more than 80 microearthquakes in the depths of the Earth, using sensors. This means that magma would be circulating at the edge of the earth’s crust. The volcanic field could therefore wake up. And an eruption would form new volcanoes. This would not surprise researchers because the Puys chain is still young on a geological scale. Among its 80 volcanoes, the oldest were formed 95,000 years ago and the youngest are only 8,400 years old. The last Auvergne eruption dates back only 6,700 years.
- On the other hand, no one knows when the next eruption will occur. Three thousand years? Three months? “Both are possible and, scientifically, it is impossible to predict! recognizes Pierre Boivin, member of the Magmas and Volcanoes laboratory. But for now, the team does not identify any continuous noise indicating a return of volcanic activity. However, it will resume one day in Auvergne, according to the principles of geology.
- In mainland France, the population still has difficulty understanding the idea that a volcano could wake up there. It must be said that research has long lacked funds to carry out a surveillance campaign in Auvergne. She gets more funding for overseas fire-breathing monsters. However, vigilance remains necessary. If the eruption occurred around the Puy Pariou, for example, projections of ash would probably force the inhabitants of the commune of Orcines to evacuate at full speed.
