Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull Volcano - Discussion Thread

[coldfingers]

I'd still be interested in how many engine checks they're actually doing.

I think we all knew they would never check every engine after every flight. That was never going to be practical financially and finance is what the airlines are there for, not our convenience.

The earthquakes are still coming too, another one just over half an hour ago and a deep one too. 24.5 km depth and 1.3 magnitude.

[Coast]

Experts: Airlines must intensify engine checks

Apr 20, 2010

BRUSSELS — Experts warned that airlines resuming flights over large swaths of Europe on Tuesday should carry out extensive engine inspections if there is any suspicion that an aircraft has flown through volcanic ash. No plane has flown though any zone containing ash, which are off-limits to air traffic. according to Eurocontrol, the continent's air traffic agency. It said much of the ash plume has dissipated over the past two days, and is now found in significant concentrations only over the Atlantic Ocean and the Baltic Sea. But airlines and experts still say they want to conduct random engine tests as a safety precaution, in case the planes encounter lingering traces of airborne particles in zones deemed generally free of the contaminants.

"If in the normal course of events, a flight crew were to suspect that they have flown through or near the ash cloud, this must be reported and an engine inspection must be undertaken on the ground," said Martin Chalk, president of the Brussels-based European Cockpit Association which represents 38,200 pilots from 36 European nations. Volcanic ash can cause serious damage because of the way the intense engine heat interacts with the particles. Test flights or ferry flights by about three dozen airliners in France, Holland, Germany and Britain on Monday experienced no ill effects from ash, said David Henderson, spokesman for the Association of European Airlines. He said airlines did not expect that they would have to increase the tempo of regular engine checks.

www.google.com/hostednews

[LadyPakal]

'If in the normal course of events, a flight crew were to suspect that they have flown through or near the ash cloud,'

The thing is, they are now flying through ash in higher concentrations than before (because they changed the guidelines). Does this get reported now or is it ignored and not reported because it is deemed 'safe' - if so, the engines will not be checked outside of routine maintenance, even when they have been though ash.

[coldfingers]

'If in the normal course of events, a flight crew were to suspect that they have flown through or near the ash cloud,'

The thing is, they are now flying through ash in higher concentrations than before (because they changed the guidelines). Does this get reported now or is it ignored and not reported because it is deemed 'safe' - if so, the engines will not be checked outside of routine maintenance, even when they have been though ash.

I find it worrying!

[Coast]

I find it worrying!

It's a bit like saying 'we used to change the oil in your car every 6000 miles, but now we leave it for 12000 as not too many more car engines blow up before the higher mileage point' !!!

[picog]

Maybe they just have a cursory look at the engine air intakes to see of there is any evidence of ash in the turbines — if they don't see any, it's an all clear.

[LadyPakal]

That's a bit like blowing your nose and from the results deciding you have no lung infection.

[coldfingers]

Yet another quake, almost on the same site as the last one and even deeper. 26.8km depth and 1.3 magnitude.

Begining to think the lady has tummy trouble. I wonder how long before she starts burping.

Edited May 6, 2010 by coldfingers

[karyo]

According to the Met Office website, the ash plume reached 32,000 feet last night which must be as high as at the beginning of the eruption! It's a good job the winds have turned northeasterly and blow the ash away from the UK!

Karyo

[Coast]

Current emissions and coverage:

[coldfingers]

Wow, I go out for an hour and come back to find 7 more quakes occuring within a 25 minutes period.

All shallow quakes too. Could this be a warning of further big eruptions I wonder?

Such a shame the low cloud is stopping us seeing the summit.

Edited May 6, 2010 by coldfingers

[Guest]

Wow, I go out for an hour and come back to find 7 more quakes occuring within a 25 minutes period.

All shallow quakes too. Could this be a warning of further big eruptions I wonder?

Such a shame the low cloud is stopping us seeing the summit.

It does sound as if something is building below the surface (from what I've read via this thread). Will any future eruption be less violent since a lot of the ice has gone now or does that not follow?

[LadyPakal]

This is quite interesting: http://www.vizworld.com/2010/04/earthquakes-eruption-iceland-2010-vimeo/

Visualisation of seismic activity in the days leading up to the eruption.

[The PIT]

The violence of the Eruption depends on several things.

Water clearly but also the gas content of the magma and how viscous it is.

A good example of the differences of gas content can make to eruption can be seen by looking at St Helens. The first Eruption in 1980 and subsequent ones highly explosive until 86. The renewed activity, once the magma had made it's way to the surface past the glacier was fairly benign mainly due to magma being gas poor having degassed while be stored below ground. Both eruptions had viscous lava hence the domes rather than flows but the gas content was the key.

Viscous Lava tends to keep gas within until it burst out hence explosive eurptions.

Fluid Lava gas easily escapes hence quiet eurptions like in Hawaii.

Viscous lava poor in gas quiet dome building generally bar the odd collapse.

Another factor in how explosive an eurption maybe is whether the volcano has a closed vent or an open vent. Closed vents build up pressure and the magma has to blast it way out. AD 79 Vesuvius is a good example.

Open vent gasses escape and the magma has little trouble making it way to the surface so eruptions tend to be small. Good examples of open vent eruptions are Galeras in Columbia and Popocateptetl in Mexico.

[LadyPakal]

Chap at the vodacam right now, on the phone. I think he's disappointed with the view...

[Andy H]

Chap at the vodacam right now, on the phone. I think he's disappointed with the view...

just seen that having a good wave http://eldgos.mila.is/eyjafjallajokull-fra-fimmvorduhalsi/

[LadyPakal]

Having looked at that webcam I now feel the need for some windex & a squeegee...skweegee.... sqwegee darnnit, how do you spell that, anyway?

Looks like someone did it for me. Now a bunch of puzzled, disappointed rock hounds are peering over the edge.

Edited May 6, 2010 by LadyPakal

[coldfingers]

Having looked at that webcam I now feel the need for some windex & a squeegee...skweegee.... sqwegee darnnit, how do you spell that, anyway?

Looks like someone did it for me. Now a bunch of puzzled, disappointed rock hounds are peering over the edge.

I assumed one of them was the maintainence man because he seemed to be making gestures earlier and especially as someone cleared the screen.

What is the new cam (not currently loading) below the usual one on the Thorolfsfelli cam I wonder.

Oh dear, I have posted too much, I can now spell the names of the cams without checking the spelling. :wacko:

[Costa Del Fal]

Just saw the Ash concentration charts on the Met Office and the area of Unsafe ash has expanded significantly and covers a large area!

[The PIT]

Yes the ash looks more troublesome but you only need to worry if you're going across the pond. otherwise bar the odd Tourist or engineer nothing too see.

[coldfingers]

I assumed one of them was the maintainence man because he seemed to be making gestures earlier and especially as someone cleared the screen.

What is the new cam (not currently loading) below the usual one on the Thorolfsfelli cam I wonder.

Good news!, I have just found out the new cam is an infra-red or thermal camera. When that is working properly we should be able to see despite the clouds.

Here's hoping they get it working soon!

Edited May 6, 2010 by coldfingers

[The PIT]

Good news!, I have just found out the new cam is an infra-red or thermal camera. When that is working properly we should be able to see despite the clouds.

Here's hoping they get it working soon!

Doesn't very well does it get the engineer back...

[LadyPakal]

From what I understand all school kids in Iceland have to learn about Geology (compulsory subject) so in effect they are all rockhounds. Any country that makes a study of Geology in school compulsory is fine by me :wacko: <- was meant to be a wink, btw. stupid smilies...

Edited May 6, 2010 by LadyPakal

[coldfingers]

Doesn't very well does it get the engineer back...

As far as I am aware they are still setting it up. That must have been what all the gesturing and mobile talking was. But I am impatient too as I have to go out in a minute.

[kold weather]

Europe is quite lucky that an upper low is cutting off over the UK right now deflecting the plume towards the Atlantic. Obviously this is a big issue for those going to states from Ireland but everywhere else, I'd have thought the planes could just fly over it.

That being said Ireland could well get ash coming in on a fairly frequant basis over the next week.