‘Red Warning’ Issued for Iceland Volcano

FISSURE ERUPTION
VOLCANIC SEISMICITY
BARDARBUNGA VOLCANO
SCENARIOS 023, 017, 09, 08, 07
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New fissure eruption near Bardarbunga prompts ‘Red Alert’

Iceland has once again raised its aviation warning to the highest level after a new fissure eruption in Holuhraun lava field near Bardarbunga volcano.

Volcanologists monitoring restive Bardarbunga observed a fissure eruption at 05:15GMT on Sunday, said IMO.

“It appears that the eruptive fissure is longer than in the last eruption. It is extending north and south on the same . The eruption is a very calm lava eruption and can hardly be seen on seismometers. Visual observation confirm it is calm, but continuous.”

Currently, only lava is erupting, but no ash has been observed, added IMO.

Sunday eruption from a new fissure in Holuhraun lava field

Image via Xinhua.

Photo: Benedikt Gunnar Ófeigsson/IMO. Image may be subject to copyright

The eruption prompted IMO to raise the aviation warning code to ‘red’ for the large area that houses the Bardarbunga volcanic system.

The new fissure is located very close to the Friday’s, with the fracture extending further to the north, said a researcher.

The latest eruption is said to be far more more intense than Friday’s, with the lava flow estimated to be more than 10 times greater.

Meantime, seismicity continues on a 15-km-long region of the dyke intrusion, said IMO, “extending both into the Dyngjujökull glacier and the region north of the ice margin. Earthquakes have not migrated northwards during the last two days.”

An estimated 500 million cubic meters of lava has flowed from beneath the volcano in a long dyke since last week.

Related Links

• MAJOR DISASTERS/ SIGNIFICANT EVENTS, Aug. 29, 2014 August 29, 2014
• Two More Significant Quakes Hit Bardarbunga Volcano August 27, 2014
• Red Alert as Bardarbunga Volcano Erupts August 23, 2014
• Thousands of tremors recorded near Bárðarbunga volcano August 20, 2014
• Seismic activity – last 48 hours + 3D Map of the Tremors
• Bárðarbunga Webcam

Red Alert as Bardarbunga Volcano Erupts

MAJOR DISASTERS/ SIGNIFICANT EVENTS
VOLCANIC ERUPTION
RED ALERT (AVIATION)
BARDARBUNGA VOLCANO ERUPTING
SCENARIOS 023, 09, 08, 07
.

Bardarbunga erupting subglacially

The Icelandic Met Office (IMO) has issued a red alert for aviation, warning that Bardarbunga volcano could spew significant ash emissions.

A small sub-glacial eruption is currently occurring at Bardarbunga, said the Met Office.

“Warning: It is believed that a small subglacial lava-eruption has begun under the Dyngjujökull glacier. The aviation color code for the Bárðarbunga volcano has been changed from orange to red.”

The red alert is Iceland’s highest warning level on their five-point scale.

On Wednesday, authorities evacuated hundreds of people from several areas  north of the volcano, fearing that the volcano could erupt and cause significant flooding and mudslides.

Bardarbunga, a part of a large volcanic system,  sits under up to 400 meters of ice, the Vatnajokull glacier, in central Iceland.

The following update is provided by IMO

23rd August 2014 14:10UTC –  small eruption Occurring beneath  Dyngjujökull

• A small lava-eruption has been detected under the Dyngjujökull glacier.
• An estimated 150-400 meters of ice covers the area.
• The aviation color code for the Bárðarbunga volcano has been changed from orange to red.
• At 14:04UTC, an earthquake measuring 4.5Mw occurred near the volcano.

Bardarbunga (Bárðarbunga Icelandic spelling), is a stratovolcano, located under the Vatnajökull glacier. It is the second highest mountain in Iceland, standing 2,010 meters a.s.l. The volcanic system that includes Bardarbunga is more than 200km long and 25km wide.

Vatnajökull

Vatnajökull (Glacier of Lakes), also known as the Vatna Glacier, is Iceland’s largest and most voluminous glacier, located in the south-east of the island. With an area of 13,600 km², Vatnajökull covers more than 8 percent of the country. It is also the largest ice cap in Europe by volume (3,100 km³).

Related Links

• Thousands of tremors recorded near Bárðarbunga volcano
• Seismic activity – last 48 hours + 3D Map of the Tremors
• Bárðarbunga Webcam