Eyjafjallajökull Caldera Eruption

reply to post by PuterMan


Thank-you for taking the time to give such a detailed reply ... much appreciated.

I have to confess to becoming a bit of a vulcan-addict of late ... even before this all kicked-off I was a regular reader of the Yellowstone thread. But never contributed because I have no idea what you guys are talking about most of the time ... but I somehow catch the gist. Ah, to be clever

Woody

reply to post by woodwytch


Yeh me to, and i see now the real beauty from mother earth/ nature. I like Ats very much. And nice to do something for other people. You even get smarther from all the info here.

Originally posted by ni91ck
reply to post by woodwytch

 

Yeh me to, and i see now the real beauty from mother earth/ nature. I like Ats very much. And nice to do something for other people. You even get smarther from all the info here.

That is so true ... once you pick your way through the 'ridiculous 'o' plenty' threads on ATS ... you discover the real gems amongst them.

I am definately a lot wiser on a multitude of topics since I joined ATS ... and met some amazing people along the way ... long may it continue.

Woody

One small EQ near 'E', but when you look at the map of recent seismic activity, it looks like the magma is moving in a line east and west of the volcano. I am no expert, so please, does anyone else see what I am seeing, and what does that mean?

en.vedur.is...=map

So i read about a book what coming over the volcano Eyjafjallajokull. Maybe when its in the store i buy me one?

New Iceland volcano book released.
Posted on24 May 2010. Tags: Eyjafjallajokull, Iceland, volcano

Noted writer and geologist Ari Trausti Gudmundsson and photographer Ragnar Th. Sigurdsson have teamed up to release a stunning new book on the Eyjafjallajokull volcanic eruption in Iceland.
The book is in English and Icelandic and will make an interesting and stimulating souvenir for the biggest global
event of the year so far.
Categorized | General, Iceland, Leisure, MBL
New Iceland volcano book released
Posted on24 May 2010. Tags: Eyjafjallajokull, Iceland, volcano

Ari Trausti Gudmundsson is a real volcano expert who has helped answer people’s questions right here on IceNews.

The book’s authors say:

NATURE AT ITS FIERCEST AND MOST AWE-INSPIRING
A brand-new book on the eruptions at Eyjafjallajökull, Iceland, which started in March 2010.

The book was written and produced in May by two of the most capable experts on the subject: Ragnar Th. Sigurðsson, one of Iceland’s best-known photographers, who has taken unique photos of the events, and Ari Trausti Guðmundsson, geophysicist and a prominent fiction and non-fiction writer of over 30 books.

www.icenews.is...-15147

Here some info about Katla?

Katla Volcano Update 21 May 2010



The earthquakes at the Katla volcano site appear to possibly be increasing in frequency as of this moment (time will tell however). Since May 17 there have been four earthquakes at or very near Katla, while a 5th just on the edge of the Myrdalsjokull glacier.

Although 4 or 5 earthquakes at the volcano site in 4 days does not indicate a drastic change in pattern, the interesting notation at the moment is the fact that the two most recent earthquakes occurred within 3 hours of each other on 21 May, 2010, at depths of 5km and 13km. That in itself is an increase in occurrence. It may be an anomaly, but it justifies keeping one eye on Katla, the big sister of Eyjafjallajokull.



What do these volcanic earthquakes tell us about what is going on at the Katla volcano?
One type of volcanic earthquake may indicate that changes are occurring due to magma moving in to an area of the rock which changes the pressure around it. At some point, the rock will break or move. If this type of earthquake becomes frequent, and a lot of earthquakes begin occurring or swarming (Earthquake swarms are when we suddenly start seeing clusters of earthquakes in the same general area over a relatively short period of time), it may be a precursor warning that an eruption is about to happen.

What we are seeing at Katla, in my opinion is NOT cause for immediate alarm, but it is noteworthy to observe this recent activity and to stay up to date with what is happening there.

There is something going on beneath the ice.

Uh-oh! Katla Volcano Just Rumbled

Katla historically erupts following the eruption of Eyjafjallajokull (April 14), is possibly 10 times more powerful, and has the potential to cause worldwide disruption.

Earthquake Map Source: Icelandic Meteorological office – their maps show only last 48 hours, so I have kept a separate view to include the Katla quakes since 17-May-2010 as of this post date


Posted: May 21, 2010 | By: Modern Survival Blog

modernsurvivalblog.com...


The bbc talking about Katla?

Could another Icelandic volcano erupt soon?

ICELAND'S major volcanoes and tectonic plate boundaries.


As scientists and air travellers alike keep a close eye on Iceland's ongoing volcanic eruption, some reports suggest that another, much bigger, volcano could stir in the near future.

Katla is Eyjafjallajokull's more active neighbour, and scientists believe that there may be a link between the two volcanoes.

This link has not been physically proven, explains Magnus Tumi Gudmundsson a geophysicist from the University of Iceland. A circumstantial, historical connection "is putting people's eyes on Katla," he says.

"We know of four Eyjafjallajokull eruptions in the past [dating back to AD 500] and in three out of these four cases, there has been a Katla eruption either at the same time or shortly after.

"By shortly, I mean timescales of months to a year.

"We consider that the probability of Katla erupting in the near future has increased since Eyjafjallajokull went."

Kathryn Goodenough from the British Geological Survey points out that, as yet, there is no physical explanation for this apparent link.

It seems that when Eyjafjallajokull goes off, Katla tends to follow.

Kathryn Goodenough
British Geological Survey
"Scientists don't yet know what the connection is," she says.

"But we know there are fissures running between the two volcanoes. And they're quite close to each other.

"They're also being subjected to the same tectonic forces. So the chances are that if magma can find a pathway to rise beneath one of them, it can find its way to rise beneath the other."

Researchers do know that the two volcanoes have separate magma chambers, but many suspect that these chambers are physically linked in some way, deep beneath the surface of the Earth.

"But this is only speculative," says Dr Goodenough. "We don't have geophysical evidence that makes that clear."

Overdue eruption

Katla's last eruption was in 1918. It lasted for three weeks and up to a cubic kilometre of material exploded through its vent.

"It's a much more active volcano than Eyjafjallajokull - it has had about 20 eruptions in the last 1,000 years, so it erupts about once every 50 years on average," says Professor Gudmundsson.


The combination of ice and magma makes for an explosive eruption
"At first glance people would say it's now long overdue. But the larger the eruption, the longer the pause (in) time that follows it, and that 1918 eruption was large."

At the moment, there is no seismic activity detectable underneath Katla that would indicate that magma is moving upward underneath it.

Scientists from the Icelandic Meteorological Office are looking at such signals and updating their website regularly with the seismic data that is being produced.

But Dr Goodenough points out that, with Eyjafjallajokull "we only had a few hours warning".

"Seismic monitoring does not necessarily give you advance notice of an eruption."

But it remains a case of watch, wait and look for signs of activity, because it is almost impossible to draw clear conclusions from the historical record, which is simply too short.

While both volcanoes have been repeatedly erupting for hundreds of thousands of years, the earliest eruptions on scientists' records occurred about 8,400 years ago.

Dr Dave McGarvie, a volcanologist from the UK's Open University, who has carried out extensive research in Iceland, explains that in that time Katla has erupted as many as 300 times.

"If we simply look at the historical record, then yes, there appears to be a link [between the two volcanoes]," he says. "But Katla does go off independently, so the link it could be pure co-incidence.

"We just don't have a pattern to get a grip of."

Professor Gudmundsson adds: "We haven't established any physical link [between the volcanoes] - we only have this circumstantial evidence," says . "And we simply don't have enough data to be able to work out what the probability of a Katla eruption is."

Flooding concern

Continu from above

Flooding concern

Katla is much larger than Eyjafjallajokull, with a magma chamber about 10 times the size.

If and when it does go off, the combination of the magma and the large ice sheet covering the volcano could lead to explosive activity for a long time, says Dr Goodenough.

It is the explosive nature of the current volcanic eruption, which caused an ash plume to be sent high into the atmosphere and affect flights in the UK and Europe.

More worryingly for the people of Iceland, an eruption at Katla would probably cause major flooding. The volcano's ice sheet is 600-700m thick and all of this ice would quickly melt on to the surrounding area, which is primarily agricultural land.

But Professor Gudmundsson says there are "no signs yet" of an impending eruption. "Our eyes are not glued to Katla, we are thinking about the eruption that is happening now."

news.bbc.co.uk...


Katla Earthquake May Presage Next Volcanic Explosion

Just to add to the ink needs of European central banks
, the Iceland met office reports that it has recorded a small earthquake at the Katla volcano. With Europe already pretty much bankrupt, and the only reason why Europe is still quoted being due to ECB, IMF and Fed backstops, the last thing needed by the troubled continent is the next major volcanic explosion to terminate airline travel indefinitely. As earthquakes tend to not be an indicator of volcanic stability, the most anticipated volcanic explosion in human history may finally be a fact quite soon. We are confident the HFT lobby will somehow determine that volcanic ash clouds add liquidity to the market. Stay tuned.

On May 17, 2010 08:32 UTC, The Iceland Met office indicates that a small earthquake has occurred at the Katla location. In what could be an early indication of the event that is expected to occur (an eruption of Katla), a small earthquake is reported at the site. Although a single earthquake is not a precursor of an eminent eruption, it could be the first ’sigh’ of the awakening powerful giant.

Historically, Katla has erupted after the eruption of it’s close neighbor, Eyjafjallajokull, which first erupted on April 14, 2010 and is ongoing at this moment. Magma channels beneath to the two volcanoes are thought to be interconnected. A Katla eruption would likely be about ten times as powerful at the Eyjafjallajokull eruption and could cause worldwide disruption while expelling huge volumes of volcanic ash into the stratosphere which would circle the globe potentially for years, depending upon the magnitude of the eruption.

Not to be alarmist, but have you started? your food storage plan? Basic survival preparedness is a personal responsibility that was simply a way of life of our ancestors. Let’s not forget how.

www.investingcontrarian.com...

How to Protect Your Portfolio from the Next Panic ???

By Tom Dyson
Monday, May 24, 2010


You've probably heard there's a volcano erupting in Iceland.

This volcano started erupting in early April. It sent such a large cloud of ash into the atmosphere, it stopped all European air travel for five days and is still causing disruption.

The last three times this volcano erupted, another volcano, 15 miles to the east, erupted too. That volcano, named Katla, is far bigger. It is one of the most powerful volcanoes in the world. According to Britain's Daily Telegraph, Katla has "some ten times the power" of its little sister.

According to the Institute of Earth Sciences, Katla averages two eruptions per century. It hasn't erupted in the last 92 years, so an eruption from Katla is overdue.

Iceland's president, Olafur Grimsson, recently told the BBC he expects Katla to erupt at any moment. He says it's not a matter of "if" but "when." Iceland's government has issued emergency evacuation plans to the population.

Now, I have no idea whether Katla is going to blow or not. It seems unlikely, given it only happens twice a century. Likewise, I don't expect any imminent nuclear bomb attacks in Los Angeles... or meteor strikes in Shanghai...

But I'm preparing my newsletter's portfolio to withstand these risks anyway.

Yesterday, the government passed the Financial Regulation Act. This month, regulators expanded their investigation into Wall Street fraud. Oil is leaking into the Gulf of Mexico. Confidence in the euro has evaporated. Stock and commodity markets are plummeting.

The point is: your investments face extraordinary risks right now. The volcano is simply another one you can add to the list.

With the stock market up 50% in the last year, trading at overvalued levels in terms of 10-year adjusted P/E levels, and paying historically low dividend yields, you're not being fairly paid to take these risks.

That's why I'm recommending you avoid stocks right now... and put your money into much safer alternatives. Fixed-income investments are one idea I've suggested to my 12% Letter readers. Instead of buying ownership in companies, we're lending them money. In return, these companies have a legal obligation to return our money in full, with dividends, when the loan matures.

We only lend money to companies with rock-solid balance sheets. By investing this way, we're able to generate 8% annual income at much lower risk levels than we'd have to take in the stock market. You read that right... you can generate 8% in annual income, safely, by following my recommended loan strategy.

The best part is, these fixed-income investments trade on the New York Stock Exchange, the Nasdaq, and the Amex and you can buy and sell them as if they were stocks. They call these securities "exchange traded fixed income securities" and over a thousand of them trade on the stock market.

For instance, last year we loaned money to Entergy, an electric utility in Texas. Our investment trades on the NYSE under the symbol EDT. It pays 7.88%, it matures in 2039, and a power plant property secures our loan. We've made 12% returns in less than a year from this investment.

If Iceland's most dangerous volcano erupts... or if any of the other risks I've just described turn into reality... stock market investors will suffer the worst in the ensuing panic. By sticking with my safe loan strategy, you make sure you're out of that crowd.

Good investing,

Tom

www.dailywealth.com...

[edit on 24-5-2010 by ni91ck]

And one more:

Icelandic volcano eruption 'ending'


Volcanic eruptions hurled ash and debris into the sky, threatening European airspace [Reuters]

An Icelandic volcano that caused major havoc to global air traffic after erupting last month is showing signs of dying down, officials say.

Scientists said on Monday that there was little activity at the Eyjafjallajokul volcano, but warned it was too early to say whether the eruption was entirely over.

"The eruption, at least for the time being, has stopped. Now there is only steam coming out of the crater," Magnus Gudmundsson of Iceland University told the AFP news agency.

"It is too early to tell whether this is the end of the eruption or just a temporary stop in activity."

On Sunday a report by Iceland's Meteorological Office and University of Iceland scientists classed the eruption as "dormant".

Monitoring planned

Experts are expected to closely monitor the volcano, which began erupting on April 14, very closely in the days and weeks to come.

Danger to airliners from the volcanic ash plume led most northern European countries to shut their airspace April 15-20, grounding an estimated 10 million travellers worldwide.

Special report



Smaller-scale disruptions have continued since then, as the volcano produced more ash.

Experts have cautioned that once the current eruption halted, a new blast in another crater or in the neighbouring and much larger and fiercer Katla volcano might follow.

When or if that will happen is also, according to Gudmundsson, "impossible to say."

In recent days, experts had said the activity at Eyjafjallajokul, which peaked for a third time just over a week ago, had slowed significantly.

Gudmundsson however said it was difficult to tell exactly when the activity had stopped.

"The flow of magma was very small yesterday, but it was still erupting at 5:00 to 6:00 pm (1700-1800 GMT). Ash was falling to the west of the volcano," he said.

The last time the volcano awoke, in 1821, it erupted on and off for almost two years.

english.aljazeera.net...

So that is more info we can use, so maybe it's Katla's turn now???

www.katla-volcano.co.uk...

Keep one eye on this!

reply to post by ni91ck


Thank you so much for your brilliant contribution to this thread, your doing a great job at keeping us updated.

Thank you

The Katla cam has been not much more than a glimpse into some bad weather lately.

www.ruv.is...

Sounds like Katla is stirring.

hisz.rsoe.hu...

"In the past 48 hours 3 earthquakes occurred at Katla volcano, Iceland. The earthquakes may be due to ice movements within Mýrdalsjökull glacier or magma movement under the volcano. Scientists have been keeping a close watch on Katla volcano, due to the possibility of an eruption triggered by the activity at nearby Eyjafjallajokull. An eruption of Katla volcano has the potential to be more devastating than the current eruption of Eyjafjallajokull."

I'm begging you Katla don't erupt I have a holiday booked for August.

There is a new 'mini' swarm going on at the snoozing 'E' volcano. Various depths...I wonder where the magma is moving?

en.vedur.is...=table

Tuesday
25.05.2010 13:42:11 63.617 -19.711 1.1 km 0.7 55.2 13.2 km WSW of Básar
Tuesday
25.05.2010 13:28:47 63.615 -19.632 0.2 km 1.1 99.0 10.2 km SW of Básar
Tuesday
25.05.2010 12:43:42 63.619 -19.628 0.8 km 0.5 99.0 9.7 km SW of Básar
Tuesday
25.05.2010 12:43:14 63.735 -19.653 2.7 km 0.5 99.0 10.6 km NW of Básar
Tuesday
25.05.2010 12:38:26 63.617 -19.638 2.4 km 0.4 99.0 10.2 km SW of Básar
Tuesday
25.05.2010 11:59:48 63.628 -19.621 6.9 km 1.4 99.0 8.8 km SW of Básar
Tuesday
25.05.2010 11:59:38 63.628 -19.623 4.1 km 0.8 99.0 8.9 km SW of Básar
Tuesday
25.05.2010 11:57:36 63.634 -19.621 14.7 km 0.7 99.0 8.4 km SW of Básar
Tuesday
25.05.2010 11:21:14 63.611 -19.634 1.6 km 0.5 99.0 10.5 km SW of Básar
Tuesday
25.05.2010 10:41:33 63.615 -19.598 20.2 km 0.9 99.0 9.0 km SW of Básar
Tuesday
25.05.2010 10:32:46 63.628 -19.585 10.9 km 0.4 99.0 7.5 km SW of Básar
Tuesday
25.05.2010 09:09:32 63.857 -19.789 13.2 km 1.6 99.0 16.1 km SSW of Hekla
Tuesday
25.05.2010 08:12:44 63.618 -19.634 0.2 km 0.4 99.0 10.0 km SW of Básar
Tuesday
25.05.2010 03:36:51 63.634 -19.259 4.8 km 0.8 99.0 0.8 km SW of Goðabunga

From JohnSearch:

Eyjafjallajokull volcano, Iceland
Quiet continues at Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland. At least 7 consecutive days of inactivity are required to declare the eruption over.

Good evening to you all, It's easy going here, but i have the official report from 25 may:

Eruption in Eyjafjallajökull - Status Report: 17:00 GMT, 25 May 2010
Icelandic Meteorological Office and Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Iceland

Compiled by: Hjörleifur Sveinbjörnsson, Þorsteinn Jónsson, Björn Sævar Einarsson and Sigrún Hreinsdóttir

Based on: IMO seismic monitoring; IES-IMO GPS monitoring; IMO hydrological data; web cameras, ATDnet – UK Met. Offices lightning detection system, Satellite images and web-based ash reports from the public, and scientist on the volcano.

Eruption plume:
Height (a.s.l.): According to a webcamera, the plume is estimated at 2 km/6600ft. A light northerly wind.
Heading: South.
Colour: White, steam.
Tephra fallout: No reports of ashfall.
Lightning: No lightning strikes have been detected.
Noises: No reports.

Meltwater:
Low discharge from Gígjökull.

Conditions at eruption site:
Similar as yesterday, estimated through a webcamera and a flight over the volcano. Blue smog (sulfuric gases) could be seen and a strong smell was felt inside the airplane when flying south of the volcano. A group of scientist went to the crater today and they could see a small blast of ash, but mostly it is steam that is formed above the crater that can be seen from distance.

Seismic tremor:
Volcanic tremor is still more than before the eruption and has been rather steady the last couple of days, but small pulses, mostly on the lowest frequency (0.5-1.0 Hz), are being detected on the earthquake
stations around the volcano.

Earthquakes:
Eleven earthquakes have been detected under the volcano today, but 8 earthquakes were detected there yesterday.

GPS deformation:
No significant deformation at sites around Eyjafjallajökull in the last couple of days.

Overall assessment:
There is still a considerable amount of steam coming from the crater, and a small blast of ash was seen by scientist standing by the crater, but no ash was seen in the flight nor from the web cameras. The tremor is still higher than before the onset of the eruption, and small tremor pulses have been detected on the lowest frequency.

www2.norvol.hi.is...

Some more news:

Iceland volcano as active now as before eruption started

Posted on25 May 2010. Tags: Eyjafjallajokull, Iceland, summer, volcano

Volcanic activity at South Iceland’s volcano under the Eyjafjallajokull glacier has continued to decrease over the last 24 hours.
The Icelandic Met Office says that activity at the volcano is only slightly higher now than it was before the eruption started. Though the volcano is now dormant, steam continues to rise up to two kilometres into the air. There appears to be no ash in the steam and no ash fall was reported anywhere in Iceland yesterday.

The restricted zone around the volcano is still in full force and authorities have had to remove curious visitors wanting to see the volcano over this holiday weekend.
Icelandic police civil protection head Vidir Reynisson told RUV that it remains very dangerous to get too close to the volcano, which could still start up again at any time.

A planned working meeting between civil protection officials and local governments in the Eyjafjallajokull area has been postponed indefinitely given the possible end of the eruption.

Farmers in South Iceland, who were resigned to a terrible summer just last week, have even begun investigating whether it is not yet too late to plant crops and/or prepare hay making for winter livestock fodder. If the eruption has actually ended, their luck may have changed. The Icelandic tourism industry is feeling much the same relief – as are European airlines.

www.icenews.is...

[edit on 25-5-2010 by ni91ck]

Is she realy paused??? Time will tell? Read more on this:

Iceland volcano ‘pauses’ - Met office update - 25 May
Tuesday 25, May 2010

Latest information received from the Icelandic Meteorological Office indicate that the volcano is no longer emitting any ash but only a steam plume of up to around 10,000 feet.
As a result of this lower activity, UK airspace is not expected to be affected.
Volcanologists and Geologists term this quieter spell of volcanic activity as a ‘paused’ phase. However, it is typical for a volcano like this to have several ‘pauses’ as part of its overall eruption phase. Only when the volcano has been ‘paused’ for three months will it then be regarded as being dormant.
Although no ash is being emitted at the moment, while any volcanic activity continues the Met Office will continue to monitor the situation

www.travelio.net...

And some more info:

The Irish Times - Tuesday, May 25, 2010Volcano could resume at any time

Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull may have quietened but it has not gone away, warn volcanologists

THE EYJAFJALLAJÖKULL volcano in Iceland has finally gone quiet – at least for now.

Volcanologists warn, however, that it has not gone away and could resume belching out ash and steam at any time. They also point ominously to the nearby Katla volcano, a larger structure that could throw up a much greater ash plume should it begin to erupt.

“Either it is the calm before the storm or it has gone quiescent,” said Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies experimental officer Tom Blake. “We are very much in a waiting phase as to what this volcano is going to do next.”

Eyjafjallajökull last erupted in 1821 and this eruption seemed to wake the larger Katla volcano.

If this paired eruption is repeated, it could have a serious impact on air travel, given the disruption caused by Eyjafjallajökull, Mr Blake said.

“We have seen how vulnerable we are. It only took a small eruption to bring us to heel,” he said. “We march to the beat of Mother Nature’s drum.”

Eyjafjallajökull began erupting on April 14th, spewing volcanic ash up thousands of metres, where it blanked European air space. The ash grounded an estimated 100,000 flights and cost airlines more than €1 billion in lost seat sales.

Some steam is venting from the volcano but no more ash, according to Icelandic Civil Protection Agency official Iris Marelsdottir. “Now we can only wait and see,” she said. “It is too early to say this is over, but at the moment it is quiet.”

The Icelandic meteorology office said there were no reports of ashfall around the volcano yesterday. The temperatures in the volcano have also dropped to boiling point, according to geologist Magnus Tumi Gudnundsson of the University of Iceland.

Iceland is a very active region for volcanos because it sits above the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, effectively a slowly moving split in the Earth’s crust that runs from north of Iceland all the way to where the Atlantic meets the Southern Ocean.

Coincidentally, Mr Blake yesterday convened a four-day meeting of seismologists in Dublin, organised by the institute and by the Observatories and Research Facilities for European Seismology (Orfeus) network.

It was held here this year to mark the bicentenary of Irish scientist Robert Mallet, a TCD graduate who was the “father of seismology”, Mr Blake said.

Mallet led the world in measuring seismological events such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

This has been a year for devastating earthquakes, with powerful events in Haiti, Chile and China that caused significant loss of life, Mr Blake said.

While Eyjafjallajökull caused weeks of trouble and worry for air passengers in Europe, it came nowhere near the record for the longest continuous volcanic eruption.

This goes to the Kilauea volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island, which has experienced continuous eruption and lava flows for 10,000 days. It started on January 3rd, 1983, and has not stopped since.

Hawaii’s big volcanos tend to be slow-flowing rather than violent, however, so ash plumes are not an issue. – (Additional reporting: PA)

www.irishtimes.com...

[edit on 25-5-2010 by ni91ck]

Volcanic ash cloud: Where is it now - May 23?
Iceland's volcanic ash cloud is no where near Europe today. The five-day forecast for Europe is for ash-free skies, unless Eyjafjallajökull puffs a bigger plume or the winds shift
By Staff / May 23, 2010

Boston
Flights around Europe were normal this weekend with no volcanic ash cloud-induced disruptions for airline passengers.

The outlook for European air travelers this week, looks good, according to London's Met Office, Britain's national weather service. And on Sunday, the news from Iceland was even better: the volcano, Eyjafjallajökull, is much quieter now.

The Met Office maps on Sunday show the Eyjafjallajökull volcano ash cloud as a plume about half the size of Iceland. It's located just south of the island and drifting slowly southward. The ash cloud is at flight levels up to 20,000 feet (cruising altitude for most commercial flights is about 35,000 feet). So, the ash cloud wouldn't pose a safety risk to most aircraft unless they were landing or taking off in the Iceland area.

The volcanic ash cloud now is at the red level (200 - 2,000 micrograms of ash per cubic meter), the lowest of three levels of concentration, shown by the Met charts.

The next level of concentration is grey on Met Office maps (2,000-4,000 micrograms of ash per cubic meter). Airlines that wish to fly through a grey zone must get clearance from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the aircraft engine manufacturers.

The highest level of concentration, black on the Met Office charts, is 20 times higher than the red area. The black zone exceeds aircraft engine manufactures safety limits for operation, according to the Met Office.

A check of the latest Met charts shows only red zones, no black or grey zones currently being created by the Iceland volcano.

Another good sign: Eurocontrol, the European air traffic and navigation control organization, canceled a planned volcanic ash cloud teleconference Sunday. Not enough ash cloud to discuss, apparently.

And the Met Office volcanic-ash forecast for this week is clear skies. But there's a caveat.

The British forecasters say that these five-day ash cloud forecast maps are based on the expectation that Eyjafjallajökull will erupt at the same intensity during the entire five days, as it is now. They note, somewhat wryly, that Eyjafjallajökull has not erupted with the same intensity for more than two days. In other words, if the winds shift or Eyjafjallajökull starts spewing ash again, the situation can change quickly.

Scientists in Iceland say there is now minimal eruption activity at the volcano. Temperatures have dropped, and just steam, not magma, is spewing from the volcanic crater. How long this will last, no one can say for certain
www.csmonitor.com...

Volcanic ash cloud: Is eruption of Eyjafjallajökull over?
There is no volcanic ash cloud over Europe today, and forecasts from Britain's Meteorological Office show clear skies all week. The Iceland volcano, Eyjafjallajökull, is shrinking and now appears dormant.
By Stephen Kurczy, Correspondent / May 25, 2010

Boston
Eyjafjallajökull is shrinking

During the past two months that the Iceland volcano was creating an ash cloud over Europe and erupting magma, it was also slowly "deflating" to the point that it has now shrunk several centimeters in size, says volcanologist Bryndís Brandsdóttir of the Institute of Earth Sciences at the University of Iceland.

"It's like a balloon," she says, explaining that the volcano inflates with magma and then deflates as magma is released.

"At present, it seems to be contracting, indicating that there is no more magma," says Ms. Brandsdóttir, who has monitored the volcano for two decades. It began filling with magma in 1991, she says, and it will likely need to refill with magma before it again erupts. The Institute of Earth Sciences attempts to monitor magma flow.

"They erupt once their magma chambers have refilled, basically," she says. "The same thing may occur in Eyjafjallajökull, but it depends on the availability of magma from the mantle."

IN PICTURES: Iceland volcano

The Institute of Earth Sciences and the Icelandic Meteorological Office detected no ash or magma at Eyjafjallajökull (pronounced ay-yah-FYAH-lah-yer-kuhl) on May 24 or May 25. The temperature inside the crater had dropped to 100 degrees Celsius on Monday, meaning the volcano was producing steam rather than magma and ash.

“The eruption seems to be dormant,” according to the Icelandic Meteorological Office.

London's Met Office, Britain's national weather service, warns that this may merely be a pause. The last time Eyjafjallajökull erupted, in December 1821, it continued off and on until January 1823 – about 14 months.

“Volcanologists and Geologists term this quieter spell of volcanic activity as a ‘paused’ phase. However, it is typical for a volcano like this to have several ‘pauses’ as part of its overall eruption phase. Only when the volcano has been ‘paused’ for three months will it then be regarded as being dormant,” the Met Office says in Monday's weather report.

Complicated plumbing
However, Ms. Brandsdóttir says that Eyjafjallajökull is acting unique from its 1821 and 1612 eruptions. In both of those instance, the volcano solely erupted from the top. But this time, in March, it initially erupted from its eastern side before its top erupted in April. She says the "internal plumbing" of the volcano affects how – and how long – it erupts.

"Imagine a vertical pipe and then a subsidiary pipe to the side – it first erupted to the side, and then the main pipe went active," she says. "It's quite complicated inside and different types of magma are coming out from different sides."

Tonight’s "Dan Rather Reports" travels to Iceland to report on the effects of Eyjafjallajokull. The volcanic ash is coating nearby farms and destroying grazing fields. Of greater worry, the report finds that as the glaciers melt with the Earth's rising temperature, the Earth's surface temperature slowly rises as a consequence.

This can lead to increased production of magma and more frequent volcanic eruptions.

Of course, Eyjafjallajökull has a volcanic sister, and no one knows whether Katla may now awaken.
www.csmonitor.com...

[edit on 25-5-2010 by ni91ck]

reply to post by Anmarie96


Mr Search? He is probably thinking of Australian volcanoes!

The Icelanders seem to think 3 months is nearer the mark - and I think I would agree with them.

There is still very minor tremor activity, and just recently another small isolated 'bump' on Katla.

Date Time Latitude Longitude Depth Magnitude Quality Location
Wednesday
26.05.2010 08:43:21 63.667 -19.114 2.8 km 0.7 49.21 7.3 km ENE of Goðabunga

She is not still yet. I have also been concerned with again very minor quakes that seem to be bracketing the mid atlantic ridge as it passes through the area. These are the ones that have appeared in the area between Tindfjallajokull and Hekla. Agreed only a couple and small, but who knows???

reply to post by ni91ck

Of greater worry, the report finds that as the glaciers melt with the Earth's rising temperature, the Earth's surface temperature slowly rises as a consequence.

Chicken/Egg?, Cart/Horse? What a masterly statement from the Christian Science Monitor!

[edit on 26/5/2010 by PuterMan]

Goodmorning to you all. Here is the official report:

Eruption in Eyjafjallajökull - Status Report: 17:00 GMT, 26 May 2010
Icelandic Meteorological Office and Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Iceland

Compiled by: Hjörleifur Sveinbjörnsson, Teitur Arason and Sigrún Hreinsdóttir

Based on: IMO seismic monitoring; IES-IMO GPS monitoring; IMO hydrological data; web cameras, ATDnet – UK Met. Offices lightning detection system, Satellite images and web-based ash reports from the public.

Eruption plume:
Height (a.s.l.): According to a webcamera in the morning, the plume was estimated at
2 km/6600ft. Northerly wind.
Heading: South.
Colour: White, steam.
Tephra fallout: No reports of ashfall.
Lightning: No lightning strikes have been detected.
Noises: No reports.

Meltwater:
Low discharge from Gígjökull.

Conditions at eruption site:
Similar as yesterday, estimated through a webcamera. But in the afternoon the visibility has been very poor caused by ash that has been blown up around the volcano. Because of this, the visibility in Vestmannaeyjar was 1 km and 2 km in Vatnsskarðshólar and the volcano could not be seen on the webcameras in the afternoon.

Seismic tremor:
Volcanic tremor is still more than before the eruption and has been rather steady the last couple of days, but small pulses, mostly on the lowest frequency (0.5-1.0 Hz), are being detected on the earthquake stations around the volcano.

Earthquakes:
Four earthquakes have been detected under the volcano today, but 16 earthquakes were detected there yesterday.

GPS deformation:
No significant deformation at sites around Eyjafjallajökull in the last couple of days.

Overall assessment:
There is still a considerable amount of steam coming from the crater. The tremor is still higher than before the onset of the eruption, and small tremor pulses have been detected on the lowest frequency. Very fine ash has been blown up, but it does not go very high up in the air, but covers the volcano so it can not be seen on webcameras.

www2.norvol.hi.is...