Overview

• Geologist Ulrich C. Schreiber outlines a worst-case scenario in which an eruption near the Mittelrhein rapidly blocks the river and triggers weeks of back-up.
• Schreiber warns that a breach of a temporary natural dam could send a powerful flood wave down the Lower Rhine, with Frankfurt Airport potentially inundated by about one meter of water.
• He cites indicators beneath the Neuwieder Becken, including deep earthquakes, mantle-derived helium and comparatively young volcano ages, as signs of renewed subsurface movement.
• Other researchers report a magmatic reservoir beneath the Laacher See, classify deep low-frequency quakes down to the upper mantle and note activity higher than in past years, yet assess a near-term major eruption as unlikely.
• Coverage highlights planning implications such as preparedness gaps for river blockage and the relevance of volcanic hazard to radioactive-waste siting, while no official alerts or emergency measures are reported.