The Iceland Volcano Thread

All going off in russia at the moment.
not that it will effect us. but nice to see the pictures if anysones intrsted

http://www.kscnet.ru/ivs/kvert/current/klch/index.html

From Jon Frimann's [URL="www.jhttp://www.vegagerdin.is/umferd-og-faerd/vefmyndavelar/sudurlandonfr.com/volcano/?p=164"]Iceland Volcano and Earthquake Blog[/URL]

Expecting a glacier flood and possibly of a eruption from Grímsfjall at any time

Posted on October 31, 2010 by Jón Frímann

According to the Icelandic news today geological scientists in Iceland are expecting a eruption and a glacier flood from Grímsvötnum at any time and without a any warning. But last week they did detect harmonic tremors on the SIL station that is on Grímsfjall volcano. It is not known if the harmonic tremors where created by water or by magma.

Currently the Grímsvötn lake is full and is ready to burst at any time without warning. Because of that scientists and Iceland Met Office have increased the monitoring of Grímsvötn and Grímsfjall volcano. It has been six years since the last eruption at Grímsfjall (2004) and it only where six years before that eruption (1998).

In answer to a query as to whether there was a webcam in place.

Just the ones that Vegagerðin has on place. But they might not show anything but the road.

Nearest webcams to Grimsvotn.

Situation Update No. 3
On 01.11.2010 at 18:55 GMT+2

An Icelandic volcano has shown signs it could be about to burst into life, just months after an eruption from another volcano caused Europe's biggest air shutdown since World War II. "The water levels have tripled in (the river) Gigja since last night," water measurement specialist Gunnar Sigurdsson of the Icelandic Meteorological Institute said. The water flooding into the Gigja, on the Vatnajoekull glacier in eastern Iceland, comes from an icy lake in the crater of the Grimsvoetn volcano. Due to increased thermal temperatures, the lake and surrounding glacier area has melted, filling the crater to a point where it has spilled over and caused a so-called river-run, which in turn could easily set off an eruption. In 2004, a similar flood from the Grimsvoetn lake was closely followed by an eruption from what is considered Iceland's most active volcano. Mr Sigurdsson said an eruption was unlikely to occur "until the water levels in Gigja have reached a maximum. "I don't know when we can expect the levels to reach their highest point, but I suspect it will be in a few days," he said. Over the past 48 hours, the Meteorological Institute has also registered strong seismic activity in the area, and three moderate earthquakes ranging from 2.7 to 4.0 on the Richter scale.

However, Icelandic authorities were unable to say whether an eruption at Grimsvotn would hit air traffic as hard as in April when the Eyjafjoell volcano erupted, dispersing a massive cloud of ash that affected more than 100,000 flights and eight million passengers. "It is near impossible to say if Grimsvotn erupts, whether it will have an effect on air traffic at all," said Keflavik Airport spokeswoman Hjordis Gudmundsdottir, pointing out it would depend if the volcano spewed lava or ash. "If it is an ash eruption, then it would affect air traffic, but only if it is a strong eruption with ash clouds reaching significant heights," she said, adding "it will also depend on wind, so at this point it is hard to guess." Thorunn Skaftadottir, a geophysicist also with the Icelandic Meteorological Institute, said that any eruption from Grimsvotn would be an ash eruption. "However, the scale of the eruption will be much smaller than the Eyjafjoell eruption and I do not think it would have the same effect on air travel as Eyjafjoell did," she said.

Airports disrupted by snow. All it needs now is a little ash.

Jón Frímann's Iceland Volcano and Earthquake Blog

Inflation starts again in Eyjafjallajökull volcano
Posted on December 21, 2010 by Jón Frímann

After a few months of a period of stability in Eyjafjallajökull volcano after the eruption ended on the 28th of May 2010. There seems to be more instability starting again in Eyjafjallajökull volcano. This instability can so far only be seen on GPS sensors around the volcano. So far the inflation that is starting at medium rate, about 5mm on every 24 hours or so. This is clear when a early results (not error corrected) are checked from Icelandic Met Office GPS network. The trigger for the current instability appears to be a sharp deflation that took place in Eyjafjallajökull volcano few days ago.

Automatic GPS data from 21st of December 2010. The GPS station name is THEY and is on the south slope of Eyjafjallajökull volcano. The sharp deflation appears clearly on the GPS automatic data (not error corrected) and is followed by a sharp inflation period that is currently ongoing. I got a email from a expert that tells me that volcano ash can interfere with the GPS signal. But this does not change my opinion on that a inflation is about to start in Eyjafjallajökull volcano.

It currently remains unclear if this inflation period in Eyjafjallajökull volcano is going to continue. At current time the inflation in Eyjafjallajökull volcano is going to continue. It is also clear that today Eyjafjallajökull volcano is few weeks from re-starting the eruption, as it has not inflated enough to do so. But what is unclear is if this inflation and inflow of new magma under Eyjafjallajökull volcano is going to move around older magma that currently is higher up in the Eyjafjallajökull volcano plumbing after the eruption started earlier this year. For the moment the only that can be done is to wait and see what happens next.

Text updated at 23:49 UTC on 21st of December 2010.

Then there was a query about volcanic ash from Eyja distorting signals.

Jón Frímann says:
December 22, 2010 at 00:49

I don’t think it is a false alarm, given the deep earthquake that have started to appear again. But the GPS signal is distorted by ash and ice and therefore confusing the outcome that I relay on when making my estimates.

I do think that a new inflation period is up on us. But it might be a lot shorter in its path then I did think.

Deleted User wrote: »

Interesting, any news on Katla?

There have been mentions on the blog but I haven't time today to go looking. The last thing I remember hearing was someone saying that Eyja usually goes twice within a 12 month period and Katla follows 6 months later so that would mean Eyja going in Jan./Feb and Katla following in the Summer but there was a slight touch of tongue-in-cheek attached to that comment. I'll add anything here that I hear over the next while.