Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull Volcano - Discussion Thread

[loobiloo]

Just caught this rainbow on the webcam!

[picog]

Rainbow is a great catch! HVO plot maybe on the way up again.

http://hraun.vedur.is/ja/Katla2009/gosplott.html

Webcam very clear right now but there does not appear to be anything interesting going on — barely any steam.

http://eldgos.mila.is/eyjafjallajokull-fra-thorolfsfelli/

[coldfingers]

Great to catch that rainbow loobiloo! Can anyone tell me the name of the 'flying saucer' clouds on the hvolsvelli cam at the moment?

[Shane]

I googled it and came up with Lenticular clouds ... link to the site here some cool pics of them!! http://weathervortex.com/lenticular-clouds.htm

[coldfingers]

I googled it and came up with Lenticular clouds ... link to the site here some cool pics of them!! http://weathervortex...ular-clouds.htm

Wow! Thanks for that link Shane. Those pictures are superb. Now I just have to try to remember the name.

Tremor charts seem to be continuing a slow rise.

Edited July 16, 2010 by coldfingers

[coldfingers]

Both the Hvolsvelli and Pforolfsfelli cam are showing a lot of steam issuing from Eyja tonight. I wonder why some days it is so much steam and others only a little.

Could it be temperature related?

[The watcher]

Could be a number of issues. I'd think though it'd be ice falling down maybe?

[coldfingers]

19 quakes in the last 48 hours, all but one on Katla. Focus of seismic activity has definitely shifted. Tremor charts low but starting a slight rise yet again.

http://en.vedur.is/earthquakes-and-volcanism/earthquakes/myrdalsjokull/#view=map

Edited July 20, 2010 by coldfingers

[coldfingers]

Today 28 quakes on Myrdalsjokull chart. 21 of these under Katla in the last 48 hours. Tremor charts rising steeply too.

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

http://hraun.vedur.is/ja/Katla2009/stodvaplott.html

[Rollo]

Thanks again for this info Coldfingers-certainly raises the chance of interesting times ahead.

[dogs32]

Is this looking like it might blow...

watched a programme on discovery about it a few weeks ago.

Said If Katla blows we will have some serious conditions compared to the last small volcano...

and we havent seen anything yet...This was the main theme of the topic!!

Are these quakes increasing or as this been doing this on and off now anyway?

Edited July 21, 2010 by Pat Carter

[coldfingers]

To be completely honest I don't know the answer to your questions Pat.

However, the quakes are much more frequent and more in quantity since I have been watching the quake charts since Eyja first 'blew' early this year. I don't think this is a start of eruprions on the volcano but could be the preliminary slight rumbles, more like the start of the start and possibly not even that. I don't think even the seismologists and volcanologists are sure how Katla will act before she/he decides to erupt. The eruption is supposedly overdue but again it could happen next week, next month, next year or next decade.

I think the most we can conclude is that the situation is worth watching if you are interested in volcanoes and want to be 'in at the begining' of any subsequent activity.

Also I don't think anyone can say in advance whether it would be a 'serious' eruption or a smaller one, just that it is most likely to be quite a bit bigger than Eyja was.

Edited July 21, 2010 by coldfingers

[azores92]

i doubt im the only one saying this but i truly hope that when katla next blows, the eruption is only minor. the last thing we need is endless travel chaos through the skies due to unlimited levels of ash. also, one has to fear what the health implications could be if it occurs, you only have to look at laki and see how many people perished because of it, irrespective of the time period it happened in.

[dogs32]

To be completely honest I don't know the answer to your questions Pat.

However, the quakes are much more frequent and more in quantity since I have been watching the quake charts since Eyja first 'blew' early this year. I don't think this is a start of eruprions on the volcano but could be the preliminary slight rumbles, more like the start of the start and possibly not even that. I don't think even the seismologists and volcanologists are sure how Katla will act before she/he decides to erupt. The eruption is supposedly overdue but again it could happen next week, next month, next year or next decade.

I think the most we can conclude is that the situation is worth watching if you are interested in volcanoes and want to be 'in at the begining' of any subsequent activity.

Also I don't think anyone can say in advance whether it would be a 'serious' eruption or a smaller one, just that it is most likely to be quite a bit bigger than Eyja was.

thx CF..

The impression I got on Discovery was it will be serious if Katla erupts..

and just like you have rightly said maybe tomorrow next week next year....

for certain it will go at some point..

I now again pop on here just to keep my eye on things as its worth being aware of the latest <_<

[Iceberg]

After the last spait of little quakes I did a bit of checking on this and talked to a few people.

The impression I got was that swarms of little quakes are quite normaly at this time of the year due to basal glacial icemelt and slippage, particularly down the steeper side of the mountain, these kinds of ice induced quakes tend to me 1.5 or smaller and only a few km's below the surface. I think essentially the pressure of ice movement causes a release in the rocks that have been building up since the previous autumn.

Saying this some of the quakes are deeper than the a few km's, however none are above 1.5 yet !.

I still think there are signs that Katla is becoming unsettled but just added my tupence worth.

[coldfingers]

After the last spait of little quakes I did a bit of checking on this and talked to a few people.

The impression I got was that swarms of little quakes are quite normaly at this time of the year due to basal glacial icemelt and slippage, particularly down the steeper side of the mountain, these kinds of ice induced quakes tend to me 1.5 or smaller and only a few km's below the surface. I think essentially the pressure of ice movement causes a release in the rocks that have been building up since the previous autumn.

Saying this some of the quakes are deeper than the a few km's, however none are above 1.5 yet !.

I still think there are signs that Katla is becoming unsettled but just added my tupence worth.

Thanks Iceberg. That theory of the ice slippage would fit in well with the fact that most of the quakes are in an area where the contour lines are very close together indicating a very steep slope. I have also noticed that the red line on the tremor charts always increases when there are strong winds in the area, I am thinking perhaps it is any increase in green or blue that will be of more significance. Having said that, the blue line has shot up on the God chart so perhaps a local quake or tremor causing it or even something as mundane as a fault in the equipment. :lol:

Edit. Ah, as I was writing that they have modified it .:blush:

Edited July 22, 2010 by coldfingers

[Dorsetbred]

thx CF..

The impression I got on Discovery was it will be serious if Katla erupts..

and just like you have rightly said maybe tomorrow next week next year....

for certain it will go at some point..

I now again pop on here just to keep my eye on things as its worth being aware of the latest

Pat

Katla, is an interesting beast! Like most volcanoes, they squeak and make some noise pre to eruption time, and yet Katla, because of it's ice dome is that bit different and seasonal variations in the dome area have their effect. Of course should Katla decide it's time to blow after the winter snows have really set in then we will have more to contend with. It's caldera is different to Eyja, which was initially a split in a fault, it's second eruption was more volcanic in it's smaller cone caldera.

Katla will spew a phenominal amount of dust and ash, again as the ice sinks into the rising magma it will possibly cause the tephra dust similar to Eyja, I think it's called phreatomagmatic.

It's just so much bigger in size, so would expect much more of a dynamic eruption.

Hold on for the ride......

Edited July 22, 2010 by Dorsetbred

[dogs32]

Pat

Katla, is an interesting beast! Like most volcanoes, they squeak and make some noise pre to eruption time, and yet Katla, because of it's ice dome is that bit different and seasonal variations in the dome area have their effect. Of course should Katla decide it's time to blow after the winter snows have really set in then we will have more to contend with. It's caldera is different to Eyja, which was initially a split in a fault, it's second eruption was more volcanic in it's smaller cone caldera.

Katla will spew a phenominal amount of dust and ash, again as the ice sinks into the rising magma it will possibly cause the tephra dust similar to Eyja, I think it's called phreatomagmatic.

It's just so much bigger in size, so would expect much more of a dynamic eruption.

Hold on for the ride......

if you get the chance watch the programme on discovery about it...Im sure it re=peats...

To be honest the last volcano eruption was a teddy bear compared to Katla....just going on what the programme was saying...

do look out for it..worth the watch with scientist from Iceland and England monitoring its progress with there view points on the eruption.

[azores92]

i probably see myself as an outsider while all of you are probably somewhat excited about the prospect of a katla eruption, but this whole situation really worries me. this volcano is potentially 10 times more potent than the last proper eruption on eyjafjallajokull, and the fact it could happen anytime is just a horrible thought. the effects to transport, to the locals, and probably to europe i just dread to imagine. can anyone reassure me? thanks

i guess the best things we can say is that it has erupted fairly frequently in history, and people have been alright, plus the wind direction may not be favourable to affect us.

Edited July 22, 2010 by azores92

[dogs32]

Im with you Azores,

thats why I pop on here now again to see if there is any news of it getting worse..

yes a dreadful thought of it going off..would effect lot more than just airlines..like I say the un-biased programme on Discovery is a eye opener of concern..IF it should ever go off

Edited July 22, 2010 by Pat Carter

[nightfire800]

Lots of activity around Grimsey the last day or so. And no melting ice there.

http://en.vedur.is/e.../tjornes-small/

Edited July 23, 2010 by nightfire800

[picog]

Lots of activity around Grimsey the last day or so. And no melting ice there.

http://en.vedur.is/e.../tjornes-small/

Maybe an island building?

[nightfire800]

Even two 4.1's now and very deep !! What's going on there?

[coldfingers]

Even two 4.1's now and very deep !! What's going on there?

These are the details for those two larger quakes. Interesting that they were simultaneous in time but two different depths and .3KM apart. So really looks like the magma rising to me. be great if a new Surtsey eruption is about to happen!

Friday

23.07.201008:38:23 66.650-17.946 22.5 km 4.1 90.011 2.4 km NNE of GrímseyFriday

23.07.201008:38:23 66.656-17.997 13.4 km 4.1 90.041 2.7 km N of Grímsey

For those worried about Katla, I think the biggest risk from that would be local flooding as the ice melted, similar to the Eyja one but worse. Areas in Iceland would no doubt be badly affected by ash but for Europe there isn't really a great deal to worry about, especially in view of the modified allowance for flying and ash in engine allowance. :lol: Not happy about that personally!. Anyway there are far more dangerous volcanos than Katla in Iceland, fortunately they are resting at the moment.

Don't forget the makers of these documentaries will focus on the risks as there would be no interest in the documentary. No doubt other scientists would have a slightly different view to the ones interviewed. It was ever so. Having siad that I will admit to not having yet seen this documentary so I could be talking out of my hat.

Edited July 23, 2010 by coldfingers

[Iceberg]

I am no expert, but looking at the past few months earthquake activity near Tjornes has been high.

It looks like Tjornes last exploded over 100 years ago(1868), however it does connect directly to Krafla which goes up quite often. It also looks to be on the same fault line as Katla and Eyjafjallajokull.