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Posts Tagged ‘Eyjafjallajökull eruption’

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Katla’s ice cap is melting

Posted by feww on July 9, 2011

Melting of Katla’s ice cap is causing flooding near the volcano: Iceland Civil Protection Agency

Flooding may have been caused either by a small eruption, or geothermal heat emitted from the volcano, the authorities said.

Katla is one of Iceland’s largest and most active volcanoes. Located east of the Eyjafjallajökull glacier, near the southern end of Iceland’s eastern volcanic zone, Katla is buried beneath the Myrdalsjökull icecap. Its peak reaches 1,512 meters.

Map of Iceland’s Recent Earthquakes


Source: Icelandic Met Office. Image may be subject to copyright.


Katla’s last significant eruption occurred in 1928. The volcano is credited with sixteen major eruptions between 930 and 1918 occurring at intervals of 40–80 years.


Katla volcano, located near the southern end of Iceland’s eastern volcanic zone, is mostly hidden beneath the Myrdalsjökull icecap, which extends across the top of the photo. Valley glaciers descend from the summit icecap toward the coastal plain in this aerial view from the SSW. Explosive eruptions from Katla, among the largest tephra-producers in Iceland during historical time, have frequently been accompanied by damaging jökulhlaups, or glacier-outburst floods. Photo by Oddur Sigurdsson, 1985 (Icelandic National Energy Authority). Caption by GVP.

Iceland Volcanoes – Activity Forecast

FIRE-EARTH will await further development before updating the following forecast, if needed.

FIRE-EARTH Forecast: Iceland Volcanic Activity

Probability of Volcanic Activity in Iceland

Simulations of FIRE-EARTH Geophysical Model (EarthModel) show that a major volcanic eruption may occur in Iceland by October 2011 with a certainty of 0.7 [P= 72%]

Iceland’s Volcanic Eruptions since 1902

  • 2011 Grímsvötn
  • 2010 Eyjafjallajökull
  • 2004 Grímsvötn
  • 2000 Hekla
  • 1998 Grímsvötn
  • 1996 Gjálp
  • 1991 Hekla
  • 1984 Krafla
  • 1983 Grímsvötn
  • 1981 Krafla 2 eruptions
  • 1981 Hekla
  • 1980 Hekla
  • 1980 Krafla 3 eruptions
  • 1977 Krafla 2 eruptions
  • 1975 Krafla
  • 1973 subaquatic eruption 5 km south of Landeyjar coast
  • 1973 Heimaey
  • 1970 Hekla
  • 1963-1967 Surtsey
  • 1961 Askja
  • 1947 Hekla
  • 1938 Grímsvötn
  • 1934 Grímsvötn
  • 1933 Grímsvötn
  • 1929 Askja
  • 1927 Askja
  • 1926 northeast of Eldey
  • 1924 Askja
  • 1923 Askja
  • 1922 Askja 2 eruptions
  • 1922 Grímsvötn
  • 1921 Askja
  • 1918 Katla
  • 1913 Austan Heklu
  • 1910 Þórðarhyrna
  • 1903 Þórðarhyrna
  • 1902 Grímsvötn

List of Iceland’s volcanic eruptions since 1902 sourced from Icelandic Met Office Website.

Recent Volcanic Activity [Source: GVP]

29 June-5 July 2011

New Activity/Unrest: 

Ongoing Activity:

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Powerful Explosive Eruption at Eyjafjallajökull Volcano

Posted by feww on May 19, 2010

Eruption rate believed to be 200 tons per second: IMO

The average height of the volcanic plume is about 7 km (21,000 ft), according to radar observations, with the gray plume drifting northeast.

At least 70 flashes of lightning struck in a 12 hour period with a maximum of 10 flashes per hour, IMO reported.

An ongoing powerful explosive eruption at the current plume height suggests that the eruption rate is at least 200 tons per second, IMO said.

For more details see status report.


This natural-color satellite image was acquired by MODIS aboard NASA’s Terra satellite on May 18, 2010 at 12:20 p.m. local time. The pale gray ash plume blows from the summit of Eyjafjallajökull almost directly northwest. Eurocontrol said the airspace over Europe was open, and ash was unlikely to affect flights until May 20, 2010. Image and [edited] caption: NASA E/O. Download large image (2 MB, JPEG). Click image to enlarge.


MODIS on NASA’s Aqua satellite passed over Eyjafjallajökull and acquired this natural-color image on May 17, 2010.  Image and [edited] caption: NASA E/O. Download large image (2 MB, JPEG). Click image to enlarge.

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Posted in environment, iceland ash cloud, Icelandic ash cloud, Icelandic volcano | Tagged: , , | 1 Comment »

Eyjafjallajökull Eruption – Satellite Animation 6 – 17 May

Posted by feww on May 18, 2010

Eyjafjallajökull Volcanic Plume Still Bursting to 9km (27,000 ft)

Volcano Status Report by IMO – 17 May 2010 18:05

The plume from Eyjafjallajökull eruption is reaching a height of about 7 km a.s.l, Icelandic weather radar shows, with bursts of about 9 km (27,000 ft). Increasing wind speed is forcing down the easterly drifting plume which has now turned dark-gray, IMO said.

[Note: The new development may mean an increase in the amount of tephra that is being ejected. ]

Lightning reported at the crater summit striking at a rate of about 10 flashes per hour.

The activity is explosive, but somewhat less violent than May 13 scenario. Considerable ashfall has been reported at the adjacent areas and is expected to continue. The force of activity is expected fluctuate in the foreseeable future.

More details available in the status report.


Satellite image (SEVIRI BTD) showing ash ejected from Eyjafjallajökull, click to animate. Origin and technique described under May 7, entry. Click image to enlarge.

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Eyjafjallajökull Eruption Closes Down Main UK Airports

Posted by feww on May 17, 2010

Ash cloud grounds at least 1,000 flights

Large Plume of Volcanic Ash Forces Closure of Heathrow and Gatwick Airports, Britain’s busiest

Volcanic ash cloud is now drifting further south, threatening more chaos in the UK and European flights paths.

A no-fly zone has been imposed for at least a six-hour period between 01:00 BST and 07:00 BST (24:00 to 6:00UTC) by the UK Civil Aviation Authority shutting down Heathrow, Gatwick and London City airports.

There are currently no flights in parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Volcanic Ash Advisory from London – Issued graphics


Photos, charts, maps and all other images issued by the European governments may be subject to copyright. See FEWW Fair USE Notice. Click image to enlarge.

Eruption Update – 16 May 2010 19:15UTC

The eruption plume is reaching a maximum height of  about 9 km (30,000 ft), about 15 percent higher than yesterday.  The ash cloud is currently drifting in a southeast to east-southeasterly direction, Icelandic Met Office (IMO) said.

Ash fall was detected southeast of Eyjafjallajökull.

For other details of eruption see status report.

A view of Eyjafjallajökull Eruption from Thórólfsfelli Webcam

Earthquakes

At least 3 earthquakes measuring 5.1 to 5.4Mw have occurred in the Norwegian Sea about 590km to the northeast of Jan Mayen volcano which sits on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the divergent tectonic plate boundary located along the floor of the Atlantic Ocean , which also runs through Iceland.

The section of the ridge that includes  Iceland is called Reykjanes Ridge.

Fire-Earth is currently working on an update for its earlier statistical forecast of volcanic eruptions in and around Iceland.


Original Caption:  Map showing the Mid-Atlantic Ridge splitting Iceland and separating the North American and Eurasian Plates. The map also shows Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland, the Thingvellir area, and the locations of some of Iceland’s active volcanoes (red triangles), including Krafla. Source: USGS.


Original Caption: Aerial view of the area around Thingvellir, Iceland, showing a fissure zone (in shadow) that is an on-land exposure of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Right of the fissure, the North American Plate is pulling westward away from the Eurasian Plate (left of fissure). This photograph encompasses the historical tourist area of Thingvellir, the site of Iceland’s first parliament, called the Althing, founded around the year A.D. 930. Large building (upper center) is a hotel for visitors. (Photograph by Oddur Sigurdsson, National Energy Authority, Iceland. Source: USGS.


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Posted in environment, Jan Mayen volcano, Mid-Atlantic Ridge, Reykjanes Ridge, tectonic plate boundary | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

Eyjafjallajökull Eruption Gradually Intensifying

Posted by feww on May 16, 2010

Eruption Turning Darker, Plume Height Increasing

According to the latest assessment released by the Icelandic Met Office (IMO), the volcanic plume from Eyjafjallajökull is gray, occasionally reaching a height of 8km (27,000 feet) a.s.l. and drifting in a southerly direction.

IMO reported ashfall south of Eyjafjallajökull glacier and ash drift moving to southeast of the volcano.



Snapshot of earthquake activity at Eyjafjallajökull glacier. Click image to update. Source: IMO.  Photos, charts, maps and all other images issued by the European governments may be subject to copyright. See FEWW Fair USE Notice.

A swarm of at least 30 volcanic earthquakes occurred beneath Eyjafjallajökull in a 3-hour period starting  at 23:54 (UTC) striking at a depth of about 20km, with the average magnitude of less than 2.0Mw. The swarm was followed  by more sporadic tremors in the morning.

“No major changes are seen in the activity, the ash cloud is slightly higher than yesterday. Presently there are no indications that the eruption is about to end.” IMO said.  For additional details, see status report.

British Airspace Closure

British airspace may have to close partially from Sunday at least until Tuesday to avoid the risk of volcanic ash from Eyjafjallajökull eruption which is drifting south from Iceland, the UK Department for Transport said.

The closure may include Heathrow airport, Europe’s busiest, the authorities said.

“Due to continuing volcanic activity in Iceland and prevailing weather conditions, there is — if the volcano continues to erupt at current levels — a risk of UK airspace closures,” the government said.

Volcanic Ash Advisory from London – Issued graphics


Photos, charts, maps and all other images issued by the European governments may be subject to copyright. See FEWW Fair USE Notice.

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Eyjafjallajökull Eruption – MISR Satellite Image

Posted by feww on May 15, 2010

Images of the 2nd Round of Eruption at Eyjafjallajökull Volcano


Eyjafjallajökull Volcano produced its second major ash plume of 2010 on May 7.  The Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) aboard NASA’s Terra satellite collected data on ash height when it passed just east of the Eyjafjallajökull Volcano mid-morning on May 7.

MISR has nine different cameras, each viewing the scene below from a difference angle nearly simultaneously. By combining all these images using a hyper-stereo technique, scientists can calculate the height of the ash plume.

The above image is a natural-color, nadir (downwards-looking) view of the scene. The top image is the stereo-derived plume height. Each pixel in the image shows an area 1.1 kilometers (0.68 miles) wide. The vertical accuracy is about 0.5km.

Much of the plume resides between 4 and 6 kilometers above the ocean surface (orange and red color in the right image), but the ash descends to near 3 kilometers yellow-green) far downwind.  Images and caption: NASA/MISR [edited for brevity.]

Status Report – 15 May 2010 (3:55UTC)

The Icelandic Met Office (IMO) reported plume reaching a height of about 7 km (24,000 ft) drifting in a  southwesterly direction. Ashfall was detected in the capital Reykjavík.

At least  50 lightning strikes were recorded during the previous 24 hours. No major changes in the activity were reported. There’s no sign the eruption could end anytime soon.

For details of status report by IMO and others click here.

LATEST NEWS FROM ICELAND:

Volcanic ash from Eyjafjallajokull eruption has forced the authorities to shut down the intentional airport at Reykjavík, the country’s main airport, authorities say.

UK Airspace

Parts of the UK’s airspace may close on Sunday as volcanic ash clouds continue to drift south of Iceland, the UK Department for Transport said, BBC reported.

Last week, about a dozen airports in southern Europe were forced to close and many flights were re-routed to avoid the risk from the Icelandic ash clouds.

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Eyjafjallajökull Volcano: Unending Eruption

Posted by feww on May 13, 2010

Eyjafjallajökull Following Chaitén Scenario?

Chaitén Erupted for Many Months, Stopped, and Erupted Again

Eyjafjallajökull eruption continues unabated, Icelandic Met Office (IMO) said. The ash plume reduced slightly and changed direction heading ESE.

The ash cloud has wreaked havoc in parts of southern Europe, disrupting flights in as far south as Portugal, Spain and Morocco in recent days, according to media reports.


Reaching a height of four to 5 kilometers (13,000-17,000 feet), the plume of ash from Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull volcano rises above a sea of clouds in this image. MODIS on  NASA’s Aqua satellite captured the image on May 12, 2010. Source: NASA E/O [Caption edited for brevity.] Download large image (1003 KB, JPEG). Click image to enlarge.


The above photo was taken by Ólafur Sigurjónsson on May 7 at 21:00 local time. Image published by IMO. Read full story here. Click image to enlarge.

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Eyjafjallajökull Eruption UPDATE – Latest MODIS Image

Posted by feww on May 12, 2010

Eyjafjallajökull Volcano: NO Immediate Plan to Cease Activity

Eyjafjallajökull continues to erupt with no major changes detected in its  activity.  There is no sign that the volcano could cease activity any time soon: IMO

The Plume is currently reaching a maximum height of about 6,000m (20,000) a.s.l., IMO report said.


This natural-color image of the ongoing eruption was acquired by MODIS aboard NASA’s Terra satellite at 12:15 p.m. local time. Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull Volcano continues to erupt a thick plume of ash. On May 11, 2010, the ash was streaming almost directly south, visibly extending at least 860 kilometers (530 miles) from Eyjafjallajökull. The ash clouds forced the closure of some Spanish and Moroccan airports. Image and Caption: NASA [Edited for brevity.] Click image to enlarge. Download large image (2 MB, JPEG)


Eyjafjallajökull and Gígjökull. Dated 11 May 2010at 10:58 today. Photo Credit: Sigurlaug Hjaltadóttir. Image release by Iceland Met Office (IMO). Image may be subject to copyright. See FEWW Fair Use Notice.

Volcanic Ash Advisory from London Met Office – Issued graphics



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Eyjafjallajökull Eruption – Latest Satellite Image

Posted by feww on May 11, 2010

Eyjafjallajökull Eruption Continues Unabated

Europe Should Fear the Worst From Icelandic Volcanoes, and Start Large-Scale Contingency Planning: Fire-Earth*

Fire Earth believes there’s more than 80 percent probability of a second, larger Icelandic volcano erupting this year.

About 50 additional volcanic tremors have struck beneath Eyjafjallajökull Glacier volcano in the past 12 hours, IMO automatic chart shows.

Farms  south of the eruption site have experienced almost continuous tephra fall over the last 24 hours, Iceland Met Office (IMO) reported.


The plume rising from the Eyjafjallajökull volcano reached up to 6kms (20,000 feet) a.s.l. on May 10, 2010, as MODIS on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this image. The ash is blowing southeast over the North Atlantic Ocean. Red outlines the location of a hot spot (probably lava) on the summit of the volcano. Farms south of the erupting volcano reported that course ash fell throughout the day. The icecap east of the volcano—Myrdals-jökull—is painted with two black stripes that reveal where the wind blew concentrated plumes of ash in previous days. Image and Caption: NASA E/O. [Caption edited for brevity.]

Volcanic Ash Advisory from London – Issued graphics


Flight Cancellation/ Airport Closures

  • More than a dozen European airports in southern Europe and N Africa were closed.
  • Parts of Turkish airspace were restricted

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*We know that you can’t and won’t prepare for the looming disasters, but we are morally obligated to warn you! Fire-Earth

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Eyjafjallajökull Glacier Hit by New Wave of Seismicity

Posted by feww on May 10, 2010

About 3 dozen quakes strike Eyjafjallajökull Glacier, other quake clusters near Kolbeinsey ridge and Tjörnes fracture zone

Recent IMO Assessment – dated 09 May 2010 at 15:00UTC

The plume mostly reached height of about 4-5 km shooting up to 6 km (20,000 ft) occasionally, and heading southeast despite low level easterly winds.

Deflation continued at Eyjafjallajökull volcano. No indications eruption might end soon.

Eyjafjallajökull view from Hvolsvelli

Eyjafjallajökull view from Thórólfsfelli webcam (Heat Signature)

European Air-Travel

Meanwhile, airtravellers experienced more delays today as more ash clouds drifting from Eyjafjallajökull volcano continued to disrupt some flights.  Transatlantic flights faced severe disruption as planes were forced into long detours to avoid the ash cloud, thereby increasing flight times.

The air traffic volume was about 500 below the daily average of 28,500 flights today compared to 1,500 cancellations yesterday.

“We’re all at the mercy of the volcano and there is just no way of knowing how long it will continue to erupt. We would normally be getting south-westerly winds at this time of year and it’s pretty unusual to have northerly winds dominating the weather. It’s very much a day-to-day situation at the moment. The volcano died down a bit for a spell and has now got more active.” A UK Met Office spokeswoman said.

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Renewed Eyjafjallajökull ash causes more air chaos

Posted by feww on May 9, 2010

Dozens of airports closed, hundreds of flights canceled,  many more diverted.

Renewed eruption at Eyjafjallajökull caused more volcanic ash to invade European airspace, forcing a new wave of flight cancellations and airport closures in Spain, as well as parts of Ireland Italy, Portugal, Scotland and the England.

At least 28 airports were forced to close from several hours to more than a day, causing hundreds of cancellations, and many flight diversions.

There were also flight cancellation to and from Switzerland, Southern and Central France, Northern Italy and Northern Portugal.

IMO Status Report said the eruption was  still in an explosive phase,  with the plume reaching a height of about 5km.

Volcanic Ash Shuts Down Spanish Airports

Eyjafjallajökull from Hvolsvelli webcam

Eyjafjallajökull eruption seen from Hvolsvelli webcam. Top of the plume is seen emerging and towering above the clouds. Click image to enlarge.


Volcanic Ash Advisory from London – Issued graphics (UK Met Office)


Click image to enlarge.


Eyjafjallajökull Ash Cloud still drifting toward southern Europe. © Copyright EUMETSAT/Met Office. Click image to enlarge.

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Eyjafjallajökull Eruption – UPDATE May 7

Posted by feww on May 7, 2010

Fire-Earth Forecasts a Large Explosion at Eyjafjallajökull Glacier, Possibly Soon

New Ash Cloud Grounds Flights

The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA), the body responsible for Irish airspace, has imposed flight restrictions at six of Ireland’s airports from 00:00UTC on Friday, citing risks from new volcanic ash cloud.

The flight bans are at Shannon, Donegal, Knock, Galway, Kerry and Sligo airports , which will remain shut until at least  12:00UTC on Friday, May 7, 2010.

The new ash cloud from the ongoing eruption at Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull Glacier volcano  was penetrating the Irish airspace along the west coast of Ireland, the IAA reported.

“The restrictions are required as the increased level of recent volcanic activity has created a massive ash cloud stretching 1,000 miles long and 700 miles wide,” an IAA spokesperson told reporters.


Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull Volcano began a fresh round of explosive ash eruptions in the first week of May. On the morning of May 6, 2010, MODIS on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this view of a thick plume of ash blowing east and then south from the volcano.  Ash clouds can have a dramatic influence on air quality and vegetation, including crops. In Iceland, the ash from Eyjafjallajokull has settled thickly on the ground, posing a threat to livestock and wildlife. Image and Caption NASA. [Edited for brevity.] Download large image (880 KB, JPEG)

Recent Status [IMO and Webcams]

  • Explosive activity has been increasing since May 4, 2010.
  • Ash plume shooting higher, reaching up to 9km (30,000 feet) a.s.l.
  • Tephra fallout on the rise.
  • “Considerable ashfall at Þykkvabæjarklaustur in Álftaver (at a distance of 65-70 km), (everything has turned black). It has not been established whether the ash cloud south of Eyjafjallajökull is ashfall or ash that has already fallen and is being blown from the ground.” IMO said.
  • “Discharge from Gígjökull decreases further and meltwater seems to be running from the eastern side of the glacier. This is different from Tuesday’s meltwater were water was running from the west side. Lava flow might be changing the direction of meltwater flow. Such changes should be taken seriously with regard to possible outbursts due to accumulation of meltwater.”
  • Earthquakes occurring at a rate of about 1 per hour (average M2., largest 2.2Mw).
    [should start packing your bags if the frequency reaches 3-5 per hour and the magnitude rises above 3.3Mw. FEWW]
  • Eruption appears to be ongoing.
  • No measurable geophysical changes within the Katla volcano reported.
  • System chaos is increasing,  rather than decreasing.

Volcanic Ash Advisory from London – Issued graphics


Click image to enlarge.

Earthquake location   07 May 15:05 GMT [IMO]



© Veðurstofa Íslands. Click image to enlarge.


Freeze Frame Eyjafjallajökull Hvolsvöllur Webcam (15:30UTC). Fire-Earth estimates the plume to be reaching a height of about 7km a.s.l. Click image to enlarge.

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Posted in environment, iceland ash cloud, Iceland volcano, Icelandic ash cloud, Satellite Image of Eyjafjallajökull eruption | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

Eyjafjallajökull Eruption – ALI-EO1 Satellite Image

Posted by feww on May 6, 2010

Increased seismicity reported at Eyjafjallajökull

More magma pumping from the volcano’s depth GPS-monitoring indicates inflation


ALI on NASA’s EO-1 satellite captured this natural-color image of Eyjafjallajökull Volcano ejecting ash and steam on May 2, 2010. Source: NASA.  Download large image (2 MB, JPEG)

Magma Intrusion – 05 May 2010 13:40

Icelandic Met Office (IMO) has detected increased seismic activity beneath Eyjafjallajökull starting Monday 3 May. “Precise locations of the earthquakes show that their source is at first very deep, at about 23 km depth, but then migrates upwards. This strongly indicates that “new” magma is intruding into the magma conduit and pushing on the over-lying magma, causing a difference in pressure at the surface. It is therefore anticipated that the eruption will continue at full force in the next days.”

Plume Height

IMO’s weather radar reported the plume height reaching to a height of about 6.5km a.s.l.

Lava Flow

Lava is flowing in a northerly direction and spreading at 500 m a.s.l., IMO said. “The lava tongue is about 200 m wide and lava channels that join at the tongue are about 30-60 m wide. The lava channels gets wider every day.”

GPS deformatio

IMO reported significant horizontal movement at GPS stations mounted around
Eyjafjallajökull in the last 2 days.

Other details at Eruption in Eyjafjallajökull (PDF file)

Volcanic Ash Advisory from London – Issued graphics

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Volcanic Ash Closes Parts of UK Airspace Again

Posted by feww on May 5, 2010

Iceland’s Volcanoes Could Potentially Cause Collapse of Europe

Eyjafjallajökull Volcanic Ash closes Airspace over Ireland and Scotland Once Again

Airspace over Northern Ireland and Scotland will be closed from 07:00 to 13:00GMT (UTC) on Wednesday due to a new cloud of volcanic ash drifting from Eyjafjallajökull Glacier volcano in Iceland, the UK Civil Aviation Authority said.

The ash cloud is expected to move further south, possibly forcing the closure of airspace in the NW England and north Wales today.

“The situation is very dynamic, so passengers expecting to travel from the impacted airports should contact their airlines to check whether their flight is operating,” CAA website said.


Volcanic Ash Advisory from London – Latest graphics   click image to enlarge


These images are monitoring for the presence of volcanic ash emission in the vicinity of Iceland using infrared data from the Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) satellite. Because cloud particles and volcanic ash particles interact with the infrared radiation in different ways, data at several different wavelengths can be combined to identify the main ash plume, which, when present, would be shown as yellow and orange colours in the images. Note that it is only the thicker parts of the plume that are able to be detected by this method. In addition, the ash plume is often masked by overlying high cloud. Source and Copyright EUMETSAT/Met Office.

A Webcam Image of Eyjafjallajökull Eruption saved by Icelandic Review yesterday. The webcams seemed to be out of action today.


One function of webcams is to prevent unnecessary traffic to the site of volcano, which could also be extremely hazardous.

Icelandic Met Office said:

Plume was observed at 5.8-6 km height (19-20,000 ft) estimated from the Icelandic Coast Guard (ICG) flight at 10:40 and 15:30 GMT. It is heading east-south-east to south-east from the eruption site. Plume track clearly visible up to 300-400 km distance from the eruption site on a NOAA satellite image at 13:13 GMT.

On lava flow they reported:

Lava is still flowing northwards, forming a lava fall down the steep hill under Gígjökull, about 4 km north of the crater. Blue gas is seen rising from the lava and white steam plumes are seen somewhat lower and mark the front of the lava stream. The size of the eruptive crater is 280 x 190 m. Lava splashes are thrown at least a few hundred meters into the air.

Status Report: 14:00UTC, 04 May 2010 – IMO and Earth Science Island:

Explosive activity and ash production is strong and has increased since yesterday. Dark ash plume rises above the crater. Lava is still flowing northwards, forming a lava fall down the steep hill under Gígjökull, about 4 km north of the crater. Blue gas is seen rising from the lava and white steam plumes are seen somewhat lower and mark the front of the lava stream. Radar images from ICG-flight today show tunnels in Gígjökull increasing in size and continuing the build up of the cone at the crater. The size of the eruptive crater is 280m x 190m. Lava splashes are thrown at least a few hundred meters into the air.

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Posted in environment, iceland volcanoes, Icelandic ash cloud, Icelandic volcano | Tagged: , , , | 2 Comments »

Eyjafjallajökull Eruption Intensifies, Flight Ban Imposed

Posted by feww on May 4, 2010

New clouds of volcanic ash force Ireland flight ban

Ireland imposes a six-hour flight ban, as a section of British airspace is closed

An intensified wave of seismic activity, which began on May 2, PM,  and is still ongoing, the volcano people at the Icelandic Meteorological Office and Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Iceland reported largest plumes of ash reaching a maximum height of about 5.2km height (17,000 ft) a.s.l., as estimated
by the Icelandic Coast Guard during an observation flight at 14:30 local time.

The plume reached a new height of about 5.5km after a major explosion about 30 minutes later. For more details, see  Eruption in Eyjafjallajökull
Status Report: 16:00 GMT, 03 May 2010 (PDF file)


Eyjafjallajökull Eruption photo dated 2010.05.02 – Sigrún Hreinsdóttir – 1. Source: IESNVC. Image may be subject to copyright. For older images see link in the corresponding sections. Click image to enlarge.

Volcanic Ash Cloud Over Ireland

The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) grounded all flights into and out of Ireland from 06:00 GMT (UTC) to midday on Tuesday as a safety precaution against potential dangers posed by the new volcanic cloud from Iceland.

“Ireland falls within the predicted area of ash concentrations that exceed acceptable engine manufacturer tolerance levels,” IAA statement said.

“The decision is based on the safety risks to crews and passengers as a result of the drift south of the volcanic ash cloud caused by the north easterly winds.”

The statement added that  “over-flights of Ireland from the UK and Europe will not be impacted tomorrow. Flights in mainland Europe will operate normally.”

Up to a thousand Irish flights affected

Up to a thousand flights in and out of Dublin airport  Shannon and Cork in the south of the country as well as in the smaller regional airports were reportedly affected.

IAA chief  Eamon Brennan was reported as saying that winds had already pushed volcanic ash on to Ireland airspace.

“Some of the denser volcanic ash, that’s the no-fly zone, is over the (County) Donegal area (in the northwest) and we are concerned about the northeasterly winds moving this down over the rest of the country,’’ he told RTE state radio.

“At the moment we have a slither of denser ash over the midlands.”

Limited airspace closures in Scotland

Britain’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) warned “increased concentrations of volcanic ash in the atmosphere are forecast to cause limited airspace closures in Scotland” on late Monday and Tuesday (local time).

Icelandic Met Office reported:  “No measurable geophysical changes within the Katla volcano.”

It’s highly probable that they are looking down the wrong volcano, however. Volcanic chain reactions are not as regular, or indeed predictable as, say, the 4 seasons.

The pattern of seismic activity in Iceland:

The pattern of seismicity in Iceland is virtually unchanged sine the initial eruption occurred more than 2 weeks ago:


Iceland’s Map of Seismicity. Click image to enlarge and update (assuming the image is still there). Source IMO. See source for copyright information.

On April 20, 2010 Fire Earth said:

Iceland seismic record for the past 48 hours shows 7  separate cluster of quakes in the vicinity of the following volcanoes (See image below)

  1. Kolbeinsey ridge (Last erupted: 1999)
  2. Krafla (1984)/ Theistareykjarbunga (< 1000 BC)/ Tjörnes fracture zone (1868)
  3. Askja (1961)
  4. Bárðarbunga (1903) and neighboring Grímsvötn (2004)
  5. Grímsnes (> 3500 BC)
  6. Reykjanes (1879)
  7. Eyjafjallajökull (Currently ongoing)

Bárdarbunga, one of the most active volcanoes in Iceland, is a massive volcano with a  700-m-deep caldera which lies beneath the NW Vatnajökull icecap.  A fissure eruption at Thjorsarhraun produced about 21 km³ of lava, the largest known Holocene lava flow on the planet.

Powerful eruptions may occur among the volcanoes lying along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The plate tectonics could also translate into increased seismicity along the divergent plate boundary and boundaries of neighboring plates.



Source: Iceland Met Office. © Veðurstofa Íslands

Further evidence  …

On April 22, 2010 Fire-Earth said: The Next Icelandic Volcano Likely to Erupt

The pattern of seismicity in Iceland has remained almost unchanged from two days ago, while the eruption at Eyjafjallajökull has become less explosive.

Loads of magma seem to be flowing under the land of Ice and Fire [Iceland,] but where is it all going?

In Iceland’s Bárdarbunga May Be Erupting posted on April 20,2010, Fire Earth Moderators said they believed Iceland’s Bárdarbunga May Be Erupting or is about to Erupt.

Seismic events occurring between Apr 18 – 20,2010

Source: Iceland Met Office. © Veðurstofa Íslands

Seismic events occurring between Apr 20 – 22,2010

Source: Iceland Met Office. © Veðurstofa Íslands

Volcanic Ash Advisory from London – Latest graphics   click image to enlarge


Click image to enlarge.

Iceland Volcanic Eruption – click image to enlarge


These images are monitoring for the presence of volcanic ash emission in the vicinity of Iceland using infrared data from the Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) satellite. Because cloud particles and volcanic ash particles interact with the infrared radiation in different ways, data at several different wavelengths can be combined to identify the main ash plume, which, when present, would be shown as yellow and orange colours in the images. Note that it is only the thicker parts of the plume that are able to be detected by this method. In addition, the ash plume is often masked by overlying high cloud. UK Met Office – © Copyright EUMETSAT/Met Office.

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Serial No 1,667. Starting April 2010, each entry on this blog has a unique serial number. If any of the numbers are missing, it may mean that the corresponding entry has been blocked by Google/the authorities in your country. Please drop us a line if you detect any anomaly/missing number(s).

Posted in iceland ash cloud, Iceland volcano | Tagged: | 1 Comment »

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