Volcanos in Iceland, possible alarm?

Thursday
04.08.2011 10:35:35 64.009 -19.682 4.8 km 2.1 99.0 2.0 km NNW of Hekla

2.1 richter at 5km depth at Hekla.

www.jonfr.com...

No aftershocks where recorded after this earthquake and nothing suggests that a Hekla volcano is about to erupt at present time. But that can change without warning at any time.

Seing as we are having a swarm of quakes in the Reykjarnesskaga, and it seems from what i have read that it´s tectonic plate pressure, and now this quake under Hekla itself which is quite rare seing a quake there. Im gonna go ahead and say that there is something building up under there right now and we´ll see first signs of a eruption within a week.

Just a gut feeling,
And keeping up with my score which is 2 correct out of 3 gut prediction. (damn vatnajökull messed up my perfect score)

Don't get me wrong Spaced but I would prefer seeing you gut score, fail again. ;-)
Last thing we need to have at this time of the year is a big eruption at Hekla.

Let's wait and see

Well it seems that i might be wrong again but there is defenetly something building up down there and in the nearby area.

From www.jonfr.com...

Katla volcano: I think that something might be about to start in Katla volcano. But that is just a speculation that I am doing now. I am far from sure about it. But it should be clear in few hours if something is happening in Katla volcano or not. I base my assessment on rather odd changes in the tremor plot. They are hard to spot, but still there and appears to be growing it seems. But I am going to check and see what happens in few hours time. This might be nothing. But only time is going to tell us that for sure.

So unless something happens in the next 2 days then i am wrong again. Which just does not make sence seing as i have the all seing eye

reply to post by Spacedman13


www.infoterra.de...

enjoy

reply to post by PuterMan


Nice one Puterman.

Strange on how the area around there had uplifted more then 40cm before the eruption but it wasn´t reported at all in the news or anywhere else i can find. Does not say though in how much time it had risen up, year - two - three- ten?.


www.infoterra.de... am

reply to post by Spacedman13


Your link was busted

Here it is corrected

It does actually tell you how long in the small text.

The interferogram was created from two pre-eruption TerraSAR-X scenes: the first one recorded almost 10 months prior to the eruption and the second one just three days before the eruption.

So ten months.

reply to post by Spacedman13


I get the drift of this report but Google Translate is not exactly the best!!!!!

www.ruv.is...

No explanations were found in the turmoil that was the Mýrdalsjökull yesterday.

Magnus Tumi says that it is necessary to keep up with boilers.

such activity dies out before the eruption occurs, but we can never know beforehand, what óróahryna ends with Jack and which die out.

Jack #te??

Etc

Brief synopsis if possible?

The Elves are getting angry.

perhaps if they hold a concert and offer some food of appeasement?


Either that or Björk is recording her new album.

I think we'll have to wait for Spacedman13 for a decent translation.

meanwhile you can always enjoy the view (let's hope it's going to remain beautiful Icelandic landscape seeing)

live.mila.is...

reply to post by PuterMan


Sorry about the late reply been busy lately,

Everything indicates that the magma is gathering under Katla. It does not necessarily mean that she will erupt says geoligist . No explanations were found what coused the turmoil that was the Mýrdalsjökull yesterday.

Magnus Tumi Gudmundsson, geoligist considers unlikely that water has caused the unease. it is more likely that geothermal energy has caused it. The activity in katla is still high and a decent amount of quakes have measured there lately and will be.

"There is increased activity in Myrdalsjokull's and has been the last few weeks ," said Magnus Tumi. "There is increased geothermal activity and increased smaller tremors. This appears on our meters, and it also showed with the glasier run this summer and the growing caldera´s in Mýrdalsjökull."

Magnus Tumi says that there is a reason to watch Katla. "This is an activity that occurs in some volcanoes before they prepare for an eruption, but it is naturally unsertain that this scenario end in an eruption," said Magnus Tumi. "But it certainly looks like she is preparing for it. These signs usually indicate that magma is coming into the volcano in relatively shallow and the increased likelihood of eruption. But if we look at the examples we have it is more common for such activity to die out before the eruption occurs, but we can never know beforehand, what turmoil ends with a eruption and which die out. we just have to watch. "

Scientists of Almannavarnir (our disaster center) are meeting this afternoon to compare notes and assess the situation "There is no emergency in progress or any such thing," said Magnus Tumi. "But the increased activity that's been lately and that unrest which came yesterday promoting that they should look into this and compare notes." [email protected]

reply to post by Spacedman13


It keeps on rumbling a bit every so often.

Bet you are watching pretty closely.

en.vedur.is...=map

reply to post by lasertaglover


Yeah trying to keep a close watch on what is happening, i forgot to report that we had huge spike of quakes in the in the hengill region, to be precise near Hveragerði. It was about 2 weeks ago i was going to report on it but then i saw a newscast that reported that it was normal for this activity to be taking place as there was geothermal drilling in that area. They were apperently drilling 2-4 new holes and all the activity was being caused by the drilling and tapping of the water, that report made me forget to post it here

Been looking into nostradamus and others who predicted things about Iceland. But i won´t go any further into that as we might aswell move this thread into the dreams and predictions catagory if i keep up the gut guesses and keep talking about this kind of stuff

At the moment im paying close attention to Katla, Hekla, And the reykjarnes ridge area but the last one mentioned is just out of personal interest.

Strange sidenote, The lake "Kleifarvatn" that has been rising and dropping the last few years. Divers found a tail of a bomb of the type MK-83 which is still used today apparently. They are guessing that the US military had used it for diving drills.

Kinda makes me wonder what else they left

reply to post by Spacedman13


Not too busy at Katla at present. Let's hope it stays that way! It is the stuff at the south of the glacier that interests me. There have been a few of these tight patterns. Could be intrusions.

All quiet at Grims as well.

reply to post by PuterMan


Um maybe busier than I thought. I must have been seeing the aftermath.

www.jonfr.com...

does not sound good.

reply to post by PuterMan




Hmmm what is the deal with pictures being disabled for now.......

Well as you can see from this Picture that since may last year to may this year that most of the activity has been from Godabunga and from Eyjafjallajökul, about 2000 quakes combined. And there were only about 300 quakes in the crater of Katla for the whole year.

But since may this year the picture changed to This . Godabunga looks to have the same pattern as last year and Eyjafjallajökull has died down, but the crater of Katla has over 800 quakes now for a 3 month period. Mostly caused by (i guess) lava streaming into the crater as it says in the report i translated.

There are a few things im wondering about all this. Just thinking outloud here.

1. They mention in the report that the caldera has been growing in Katla, did you see this anywhere else then in that report, because that is the first i have heard of it and is that not a huge indicator that the volcano is preparing for a eruption.

2. Seing as Eyjafjallajökull is suposed to be linked to Katla and vice versa, with Eyjafjallajökull sleeping and seing as Katla just suddenly woke up after Eyja died down. Does that not strongly suggest that those two really are connected. Too much of a coincidence for me that these two show activity one after another.

3. They mention in the report "These signs usually indicate that magma is coming into the volcano in relatively shallow" Im not quite getting this report, are they saying that the chamber below has filled up and the magma is relatively shallow now, as for my understanding there is a shallow chamber around 2-6 km below the ground and another one below, that is more then 15km in depth under Katla. And if i remember correctly the deeper one is the one that was linked to Eyja.


Hmmmm............

reply to post by PuterMan



Think you might be on to something there with the activity south of the caldera.

This is what i have gatherd so far from what i have read.

1. The activity started in the volcano in may after a "flood" "glacier run" ( i never know what to call it) happend in may.

2. The turmoil that happened around 05/09 - 07/09 was most likely caused by a smaller glacier run as it was reported that the water height in Múlakvísl river increased and the speed of the water did also and it turned groggy. Which is the same river that the glacier run happened in may.

3. They flew over Mýrdalsjökull on the 06/09 but because of low visability they did not see the northern or western part of the glacier but they reported that there there is a is a new hole forming in the south ( still just a declining slope forming ), most likely where the quakes are.

4. Before the flight to Mýrdalsjökull , Magnús Tumi the one quoted in the report said there could be magma moving under the glacier and pressure could be building up. 6 hours later another report came out where he said that nothing is indicating that there is magma movement under the glacier. (hmmmm maybe he bought one of those x-ray goggles online and put em up on the plane)

5. He does go on to say though after that

However, visible signs of geothermal heat is increasing and that he has done in recent weeks. Magnus Tumi says this is a sign that Katla is more active than it has in recent years. So there is every reason to have a watchful eye on Katla as they always do so but be very vigilant with her these next days and months.

and in another post he says that there are clear signs that the heat is increasing in the southern part of the glacier.


My thoughts on the whole thing.

They are throwing out wild guesses left and right.

If there is increased heat in the ground that should indicate that there is magma rising under the volcano raising the temperature under the glacier as winter is coming the ground should be getting colder not warmer. The magma might not be moving from left to right but it certainly sounds like it´s moving upward.

Here´s my wild guess.

The pathway to the main caldera of Katla is blocked and seing as the volcano is long overdue the pressure built up elsewhere causing the Eyjafjallajökull eruption to be as large as it was. And with all the quakes that followed with that eruption new pathways were formed in Katla which are only starting to be visible now as the pressure built up again under the volcano and now we might see a new caldera form in Katla which might violently burst out from another area of the glacier.

(now i just need to learn some math and i can call myself a scientist)

Noticed this link to a video from Jón frímans blog. "15 years of quakes and eruptions in 4 minutes"
VIDEO


Sources, this post and above.
www.ruv.is...
www.ruv.is...
www.ruv.is...
www.icelandreview.com...
petrology.oxfordjournals.org...
vulkan.blog.is...
www.jonfr.com...

reply to post by Spacedman13

They mention in the report that the caldera has been growing in Katla, did you see this anywhere else then in that report, because that is the first i have heard of it and is that not a huge indicator that the volcano is preparing for a eruption.

Specifically, no I had not heard that.

That is worrying and yes it is an indicator. May be she is getting ready to carve out a new caldera in the South?

Either way I think it is not far away!

The pathway to the main caldera of Katla is blocked and seing as the volcano is long overdue the pressure built up elsewhere causing the Eyjafjallajökull eruption to be as large as it was. And with all the quakes that followed with that eruption new pathways were formed in Katla which are only starting to be visible now as the pressure built up again under the volcano and now we might see a new caldera form in Katla which might violently burst out from another area of the glacier.

I agree.

What I don't like with those Katla swarms is their different locations, especially when quite outside the presumed caldera.
If these swarms do indicate magma filling the chamber, the Katla caldera could be much bigger than we actually think it is.

reply to post by PuterMan

That is worrying and yes it is an indicator. May be she is getting ready to carve out a new caldera in the South? Either way I think it is not far away!

Holy magma chambers Puterman, I don't like the sound of that!

reply to post by Nidwin

the Katla caldera could be much bigger than we actually think it is.

Or perhaps 'will be much bigger than t is now' when she has finished?

reply to post by casinoed

Holy magma chambers

I like the sound of that though. It has a certain ring to it. Can you also say "Holy Smoking Magma Chambers"?

She is not exactly what you might call calm.