The Iceland Volcano Thread

redsteveireland · 09-07-2011 01:05AM

L

maquiladora wrote: »

These tremors look a lot more intense than the ones spotted back in June. Still increasing after Jon's last post.

Will be interesting to see what (if anything) comes from this.

This one has a bit of a strange feeling about it, like something bad is about to happen.

up for anything · 09-07-2011 01:21AM

redsteveireland wrote: »

L

This one has a bit of a strange feeling about it, like something bad is about to happen.

Such as? Are you think VEI6 or something different?

maquiladora · 09-07-2011 01:38AM

Worth keeping in mind that even if this activity leads to an eruption, it could well be something along the lines of 1999, a small eruption. And even if it isn't a small eruption, there's a good chance it won't be as big as the recent Grímsvötn eruption, which was the biggest eruption in Iceland for 50 years but it didn't hurt anyone and didn't cause that much air traffic disruption.

Who knows though, maybe there will be a big surprise.

maquiladora · 09-07-2011 01:53AM

Tremor is starting to drop now.

maquiladora · 09-07-2011 02:23AM

And rising again....

Edit : Couple of shallow quakes recorded in Katla now.

Edit : And now tremor is dropping more steadily....

maquiladora · 09-07-2011 08:25AM

A glacial flood has started in Múlakvísl and there is a warning about dangerous gases being released.

Jón Frímann says:
July 9, 2011 at 07:29

The news this morning is that an small eruption most likely did happen or is happening in the Katla volcano caldera.

redsteveireland · 09-07-2011 09:06AM

up for anything wrote: »

Such as? Are you think VEI6 or something different?

I don't know but anything is possible. I just mean it feels ominous from Jon's posts.

maquiladora · 09-07-2011 09:40AM

Small, sub-glacial eruption in Katla it seems. Only risk at the moment is from flooding and dangerous gas for the locals.

Tremor is falling so could all be over, for now.

maquiladora · 09-07-2011 12:03PM

Iceland Met servers must be getting hammered, can't open their earthquake page.

The harmonic tremor is still dropping anyway.

http://hraun.vedur.is/ja/oroi/alf.gif

IMO not ready to call this an eruption. They still say there may have been a small eruption under the ice but no signs on the surface. Cracks seens in the glacier : http://www.icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news/Cracks_in_Glacier,_No_Sign_of_Katla_Eruption_0_380019.news.aspx

maquiladora · 09-07-2011 05:27PM

Too early to tell if its just a blip, but the tremor could be rising again.

Edit : Just a blip! :-)

09-07-2011 06:02PM

video showing some of the flooding on main road
apologies if already posted, only have seconds on here at time, ( computer fecked )

http://http.ruv.straumar.is/static.ruv.is/vefur/Katla_fyrir_net.wmv

maquiladora · 09-07-2011 06:41PM

Alert level has been lowered and people who were evacuated are now allowed to return to their homes.

Jon F said he thinks activity could rise again in the coming hours but at the moment everything is pretty much back to normal again.

morticia2 · 09-07-2011 07:09PM

http://en.vedur.is/earthquakes-and-volcanism/earthquakes/myrdalsjokull

fair amount of regular earthquake activity, all in the caldera. Grimsvoetn did this in October/November of last year, remember, glacier flood and then nothing....for a while.

maquiladora · 10-07-2011 01:00PM

This is some great helicopter footage of the cracking and damage done to the glacier over Katla from the recent activity. Later in the video it shows the flooding.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYUVC-gWyb8

Das Kitty · 10-07-2011 08:35PM

Can't believe it washed the bridge/raised road away, that's a lot of water and ice.

A massive pain in the ass for anyone living on the skaftafell side if they want to get to Reykjavik.

thetonynator · 10-07-2011 08:41PM

I have 4 flights to get in the next 2 weeks, if a volcano blows, i think i'm going to kill someone! Probably michael o'leary . . :P

maquiladora · 10-07-2011 09:05PM

Das Kitty wrote: »

Can't believe it washed the bridge/raised road away, that's a lot of water and ice.

It is estimated that in the 1918 eruption, around 100,000 cubic metres of ice was melted every second by the magma.

Das Kitty · 10-07-2011 09:12PM

maquiladora wrote: »

It is estimated that in the 1918 eruption, around 100,000 cubic metres of ice was melted every second by the magma.

This is supposed to be a small eruption though. The road is stilted across the flood plane to allow it to remain open during small events.

maquiladora · 10-07-2011 09:19PM

thetonynator wrote: »

I have 4 flights to get in the next 2 weeks, if a volcano blows, i think i'm going to kill someone! Probably michael o'leary . . :P

Well at the moment things are returning to normal with Katla.

There is still a bit of a question mark over Hekla but she is known for giving warnings of eruption only a couple of hours or even minutes in advance.

maquiladora · 10-07-2011 09:22PM

Das Kitty wrote: »

This is supposed to be a small eruption though. The road is stilted across the flood plane to allow it to remain open during small events.

Yes they are saying that if it was an eruption then it was a small one that didn't break through the ice. Something like this happened back in 55 and 99. They are still not actually calling this one an eruption for sure though.

maquiladora · 11-07-2011 06:42PM

Jon F thinks he has spotted the start of a new harmonic tremor at Katla. Nothing dramatic yet anyway, will check back in a few hours.

Edit : Update from Jon.

This harmonic tremor spike was small compared to the one on 8 – 9. July 2011. But this means that this area continues to be highly active and dangerous in my opinion. While there currently is an little pause ongoing in this area. I do not think that current events are over. When they end and how I don’t have any idea. But I am guessing that this is going to end in an full eruption of Katla volcano. When that might happen is something I don’t have any idea about.

maquiladora · 13-07-2011 12:12PM

Last night there was another harmonic tremor spotted but this time at a different location, under the Vatnajokull glacier. The Icelandic news has now confirmed a glacial flood so this was a very similar event to what happened with Katla a few days ago, maybe a small eruption under the ice or just magma rising close enough to melt the ice.

paddymc1 · 13-07-2011 09:18PM

Earthquake of 3.3 today at the Katla Volcano time 16:04.

morticia2 · 13-07-2011 10:27PM

maquiladora wrote: »

Last night there was another harmonic tremor spotted but this time at a different location, under the Vatnajokull glacier.

Give one little volcano its 15 mins in the limelight and they're all vying for attention...

Jon Frimann had the Vatnajokull flood pegged to Hamarinn, which is apparently part of the Bardarbunga system?

http://www.jonfr.com/volcano/

Katla, Hekla, now Hamarinn?? What next?

maquiladora · 14-07-2011 08:01AM

paddymc1 wrote: »

Earthquake of 3.3 today at the Katla Volcano time 16:04.

That was later downgraded to 2.6

Looks like it was a single event, I think if Katla was getting ready for a full eruption there would be dozens of quakes and probably a good few +3 or even stronger ones.

maquiladora · 15-07-2011 09:42PM

Shallow 3.0 quake within the Katla caldera.

up for anything · 15-07-2011 10:31PM

I'm fed up waiting around. I don't want destruction and devastation but a little something interesting happening would be nice.

maquiladora · 15-07-2011 10:36PM

up for anything wrote: »

I'm fed up waiting around. I don't want destruction and devastation but a little something interesting happening would be nice.

You might have to wait a bit longer. IMO just downgraded it to a not very interesting 0.9 mag quake now!

You could always watch Dante's Peak or Volcano.....

15-07-2011 10:39PM

up for anything wrote: »

I'm fed up waiting around. I don't want destruction and devastation but a little something interesting happening would be nice.

Be careful what you wish for!

je55ie · 15-07-2011 10:43PM

Big downgrade though

The Iceland Volcano Thread

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