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Grímsvötn volcano, Iceland’s most active, has started erupting
A large plume of smoke and ash was ejected to a height of about 20km above the volcano.
The explosive eruption, which occurred at 17.30UTC on Saturday May 21, 2011, has been described as very powerful.
Grímsvötn is Iceland’s most active volcano and had previously erupted in November 2004.
A Map of Iceland Volcanoes. Click image to enlarge.
Iceland’s Met Office Report
“Eruptions in Grímsvötn start as subglacial eruptions, which quickly break the ice cover. At 21:00 UTC, the eruption plume had risen to an altitude of over 65,000 ft (~20 km). Initially, the plume is expected to drift to the east and subsequently to the north. Thus, the ash is not expected to impact aviation in Europe, at least not during the first 24 hours.”
Eruption cloud from Grímsvötn volcano at 22:00 UTC May 21st 2011 captured by Icelandic met Office Weather Radar located at Keflavik International Airport located about 220 km from the volcano. The eruption cloud covers a large section of Vatnajökull ice cap.
Grímsvötn: “A very powerful volcano”
“Grimsvotn is a very powerful volcano, so we’re monitoring it closely, even if the last few eruptions have been harmless,” University of Iceland geophysicist Pall Einarsson told Morgunbladid.
“We do not expect this to be a big one as it’s coming from the same crater as the last three eruptions, which were all small.”
‘Not Like Last Year‘
“It can be a big eruption, but it is unlikely to be like last year,” Icelandic Met Office geologist Hjorleifur Sveinbjornsson told Reuters, referring Eyjafjallajokull.
Lots of Ash
“A lot of ash has been falling around the Vatnajokull glacier and nearby towns this evening. It is expected to continue through the night and maybe into tomorrow, according to Icelandic Met Office geologist, Hjorleifur Sveinbjornsson. The ash is much coarser than that which came from Eyjafjallajokull last year.” IceNews reported.
Aviation Threat
Isavia civil aviation authority has imposed a 120 nm flight ban around the volcano, a spokesman said. “We have closed the area until we know better what effect the ash will have.”
Grímsvötn volcano erupts producing a mushroom cloud of smoke and ash. Frame grabs from video clip by Icelandic National TV station RÚV.
BREAKING NEWS:VOLCANIC ASH CLOUD FORCES CLOSURE OF 15 AIRPORTS IN PORTUGAL AND SPAIN
See Below for details.
.
Eyjafjallajökull Glacier Volcano Continues to Eject Dense Plume of Ash
Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull volcano continued to emit a dense plume of ash and steam on May 7, 2010. The plume extends southeast from the volcano, but curves south beyond the lower edge of the image. The large image, which includes a wider area, reveals that the ash is blowing over the Atlantic Ocean west of Ireland. On Iceland, low-level winds pick up ash that had settled on the land. This plume of resuspended ash blows south from the island. The higher-elevation volcanic plume casts a dark shadow on the lower-elevation resuspended ash. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this image on May 7, 2010. Image and caption: NASA E/O. Download large image (3 MB, JPEG)
Eruption in Eyjafjallajökull Status Report: 16:00 GMT, 07 May 2010
The following is a brief summary of the report:
Decrease in explosive activity since yesterday.
Plume height lower (7.6km max), ash color lighter.
Steam still rising from lava front under Gígjökul.
Large ash fallout reaching up to 60 km from the crater.
No sign eruption might be ending.
Earthquakes are occurring at 5-13 km depth, frequency of occurrence lower than yesterday.
Surface deformation stabilized since yesterday.
Only 5 % of particles smaller than 10 micron (aerosols)
21-hour animation of ash cloud from Eyjafjallajökull volcano drifting from Iceland to Ireland and Scotland. Source: IMO . See also The initial ash cloud on 15th April. Click image to enlarge.
Eyjafjallajökull volcanic ash cloud shuts 15 airports in Europe
As the 2,000km (1,200mile) ash cloud further encroaches into European airspace, targeting tourist destinations, more airport closures expected in northern Portugal and southern France.
List of the airports that have been affected, as of posting, includes Asturias, Bilbao, Burgos, La Coruna, Leon, La Rioja, Pamplona, Salamanca, San Sebastian, Santander, Santiago, Valladolid, Vigo, Vitoria and Zaragoza.
UK’s Met Office said the Icelandic volcano was sending ash up to heights of 9.1km (30,000 ft ) at about 10:00UTC today.
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This image of steam and ash spewing out of the Eyjafjallajökull Glacier is dated April 27, 2o1o and is one of the latest image of eruption posted at the Institute of Earth Sciences, Nordic Volcanic Center. The moderators are still treating materials from the website as subject to copyright. For more images visit their website.
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Lava flows northwards from the Eyjafjallajökull crater, melting the glacial ice: Report
The local experts do not believe large-scale flooding could occur from the melt water, but then again …
Oh, and if you are wondering why everyone in Iceland is suddenly speaking about lava flow in the past tense, you’re not alone. The rascals didn’t tell anyone lava had started flowing 4 days ago!
Notice: The following updates were issued by various Icelandic organizations. Unlike the govt organizations in the US, nearly all of the information broadcast by government organizations and educational outlets in Iceland and most European countries may be subject to copyright. If your use of their data goes beyond the educational use/ fair use, be sure to contact the authors for copyright clarification/ permission.
Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management -Media team
Specialists from the Institute of the Earth Sciences (http://www.earthice.hi.is/ ) and the Icelandic Meteorological Office (http://www.vedur.is) flew over the eruption site in Eyjafjallajökull late yesterday. The lava flow seems to be of similar volume as in recent days (20-40 tons per second). The quantity of the volcanic plume is slowly decreasing. The flow of lava is most likely to have started near noon on April 21 when water started flowing continuously from Gígjökull. Steam plumes rose from the northern edges of the caldera after noon on that day and could be seen from a helicopter. Deflation associated with the volcanic tremor was noticed at the same time. There are no signs of melting or flow of water to the south. There are also no indications that the eruption is coming to an end.
There are still disruptions in domestic and international flights, according to information from ISAVIA, and passengers are therefore strongly advised to seek further information from air carriers and at: http://www.textavarp.is/ .
Icelandic Met Office Report
Eruption in Eyjafjallajökull, Iceland
Indications of lava flow to the north – 25 April 11:30
Yesterday evening, geophysicists from the Institute of the Earth Sciences found indications of lava flow from the eruption site. The risk of sudden melt water flow is, however, minor. Following is their description:
“North of crater a roughly 300 m long and wide depression has been melted out in the last three days. Steam plumes rise from the depression, especially at the margins. This is explained by lava flowing northwards from the crater with the steam rising where lava meets ice … Flow of lava is considered to have begun around noon on Wednesday 21 April.”
Icelandic Meteorological Office and Institute of Earth Sciences, UoI
Eruption in Eyjafjallajökull – status report 25 April 2010 at 1800
Eruption plume: Height( a.s.l): Unknown, not seen above cloud cover at 5.3 km.
Heading: NW
Tephra fallout: Minor (light fallout detected at two farms 10 km NW of vents)
Conditions at eruption site: Overall activity similar as yesterday. Eruption seen from west in the morning – north crater still active. External water has not affected vent activity much since 18 April. Geologists field observations (2-10 km from vents) show that explosivity is magmatic and that the tephra produced since 18 April is much coarser than during first four days. Explosions heard at Fljótshlíð, 10-15 km NW of vents. Meltwater discharge suggest similar lava activity. Processing of data obtained yesterday shows that lava had advanced 400-500 m northwards from crater, forming an ice depression extending some 700 m from vents.
Overall assessment: Magma flow rate has remained at similar level over the last few days. Plume activity is gradually declining. Flow continues flowing towards north. No signs of melting or meltwater discharge towards south. No signs of termination of eruption.Eruption in Eyjafjallajökull – status report 24 April 2010 at 1700 Eruption plume: Height( a.s.l): 13000 feet (4 km) Tephra fallout: Minor (plume dark but no reports of fallout in districts around volcano) Meltwater: 100-120 m3/s, based on gauge at old Markarfljót bridge and a rough estimate of base flow. GPS deformation: Indicates slow subsidence towards the center of the volcano. Magma flow: Eruption plume: less or equal to 10 tonnes/s. Lava flow: 10-30 tonnes/s Total magma flow: 20-40 tonnes/s
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The following data have been acquired by the ASTER instrument on the NASA Terra satellite, and posted on Internet by University of Pittsburgh volcanologist Michael Ramsey. The data were collected both day and night. ASTER acquires data in the visible/near infrared (VNIR) and thermal infrared (TIR) during day time overpasses and in the TIR at night. The VNIR images are at 15 m/pixel resolution and the TIR are 90 m/pixel (each image covers approximately 60 km by 60 km).
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Ash Fall from Eyjafjallajökull Eruption Closes Icelandic Airports
Iceland’s Keflavík International Airport was closed earlier today due to volcanic ash cloud from Eyjafjallajökull eruption.
The wind direction had reportedly changed pushing the ash cloud in southern Iceland in a southwesterly direction; however, little or no ash fall was forecast in the capital Reykjavik, Icelandic Review reported.
The closure of Keflavík airport was expected to affect all international flights to and from Iceland.
Webcam views of Eyjafjallajökull eruption recorded at 11:40UTC on April 23, 2010 – Click images to enlarge
Hvolsvelli View
Thórólfsfelli (Þórólfsfelli) View
The Institute of Earth Science Nordic Volcanological Center
Eruption in Eyjafjallajökull
Eruption update 22 April Similar situation as yesterday (see 21 April report)
Seismic tremor recorded by the Icelandic Meteorological Office: Some fluctuations, with a peak shortly after midnight 22 April related to a small flood of meltwater. Since the onset of the explosive eruption the tremor has overall been gradually increasing, with superimposed fluctuations.
Visual observations yesterday: Regular explosions at intervals of few minutes were observed in afternoon, with fluctuations in intensity and tephra content. Previous entries …
The following two images are from Frettabldid-Island and may be subject to copyright.
Electric Eyjafjallajokull
Prime Real Estate
Eruption in Eyjafjallajökull, Iceland – Current events Report by Icelandic Met Office
Status as of: 23 April 2010 10:45(UTC)
Volcanic tremor has been similar the last 24 hours. GPS stations around Eyjafjallajökull showed deflation associated with the eruption.
The plume could be seen on IMO’s radar till 04:00. This morning it rose up to 16.000 feet, ca 4.8 km, and ash is blowing towards west.
Water in Markarfljot river increased slightly yesterday, probably due to continuous flow from the eruption area (Gigjökull).
Eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland as seen by RADARSAT-2 (Canadian Space Agency)
Left: RADARSAT-2 image of April 9 – RADARSAT-2 Multi-Look Fine, beam 4 – April 9, 2010, 07:34 :48 UTC, Descending orbit – Nominal resolution: 8 m.
Right: RADARSAT-2 image of April 20 – RADARSAT-2 Extended High, beam 4 – April 20, 2010, 07:13 :53 UTC, Descending orbit -Nominal resolution: 25 m. Click image to enlarge.
Image Notes and Observations:
New volcano craters are evident on April 20 image (Right).
Glacial lake on the north slope of the volcano is now filled with volcanic sediments.
Local drainage network is swamped by the melt water.
The radar backscatter has changed drastically, probably caused by the melted ice and by the presence of ash and dust on the ice.
Agricultural land on the south slope of the volcano covered by volcanic ash and debris.
The wavelength used by RADARSAT-2 is only slightly affected by the ash and airborne particles.
Iceland’s Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management – Media team
News Release: # 22 – April 23, 2010, 06:30(UTC)
A little after midnight, the volcanic cloud became quite dark, according to the police, and the wind turned during the night.
The Weather Bureau expects southeasterly winds today, and the wind force will gradually increase. An ashen mist is expected towards the north-east of the volcano, and small quantities of ash might even reach Reykjavík. The terms “ashen mist” refer to a view impaired by the ash, according to the Weather Bureau. Some ash is falling in the direction of Fljótshlíð and will continue to do so in a northwesterly direction from the volcano.
Flights to and from the airports of Keflavík and Reykjavík are being cancelled and travellers are requested to follow the news and the websites of the flight operators and Keflavík Airport.
According to the police at Hvolsvöllur, no traffic is permitted in the vicinity of the volcano. The area closed to traffic encompasses the Eyjafjallajökull glacier, its slopes, the Fimmvörðuháls pass and Mýrdalsjökull glacier. Please respect these restrictions.
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The explosive activity at Eyjafjallajökull is less vigorous, with only one of two main craters in the summit caldera remaining active.
Webcam views of Eyjafjallajökull eruption recorded at 15:23UTC on April 22, 2010 – Click images to enlarge
Hvolsvelli View
Thórólfsfelli (Þórólfsfelli) View
“Eruption rate is inferred to have declined over last few days and now be an order of magnitude smaller than during the initial 72 hours of the eruption. Present eruption rate is estimated to less than 30 m3/s of magma, or 75 tonnes/s , with a large uncertainty.” The Institute of Earth Science Nordic Volcanological Center said.
The eruptive style was reported as: “Phreatomatic explosive activity” with “lava spatter” at the summit craters, with the plume height reaching 3,000 m asl.
Seismic tremor showed some fluctuations but remained mostly stable, said the Icelandic Meteorological Office. “Tremor is not decreasing and does not reflect the decline as inferred from the eruption rate.”
Freeze frame from a video of Eyjafjallajökull Eruption shot by Icelandic Coast Guard.
The Institute of Earth Science Nordic Volcanological Center said:
Tephra dispersal: local towards the south
Meltwater: minor, but what is melted flows down into Markarfljót, no signs of water accumulation in craters
GPS-measurements: indicate continuing small pressure decrease under the volcano at a similar rate.
Composition of erupted material: Samples collected April 19 show same composition as early in the explosive phase, but fluorine content is higher. Samples collected 19 April have 850 mg/kg (initially it was 25-35 mg/kg). This is due to the change in eruptive style – tephra is now not washed to the same extent by water in the eruptive plume.
Amount of erupted material: Uncertain but on the order of 100 millon cubic meters. Tephra next to craters is 20-30 m thick.
Iceland’s Civil Protection Office confirmed that the ash emissions had been considerably reduced. “The volcanic cloud is quite low and not visible on radars. The ash is not expected to reach an altitude of 20.000 feet (6 – 7 km) for the nex few days. The ashes will continue falling on the area south and south-east of the glacier today, yet the wind will turn and blow from the north-easterly today, and the ashes will start falling to the south-west tonight. The wind is expected to be mild. That, and a lessened ash emission, will cause the ashes to fall near the eruption site. There is no cause to believe that the ashes will fall on the south-western regions of Iceland.”
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Was volcanic ash responsible for the plane’s engine trouble?
A frightened British pilot flying a Boeing 757 to Crete to rescue stranded holidaymakers was forced to abort the flight after smelling ash on takeoff followed by engine fault.
“An audio file obtained by ‘The Sun’ reveals the conversation between the pilot and air traffic control.” Bild reported.
“We believe we’re in clear air at the moment, but we’ve definitely had the smell of the ash in the aircraft and twice one of our engine bleed airs has failed so we’re pretty sure its volcanic ash,” the Thomas Cook pilot said.
The pilot reported smelling ash to air traffic control, first at 16,000 feet and then again at 20,000 feet, during the initial climb.
“In the climb, we could smell the ash. The smell stayed on for a while. Once we’d levelled at 39 [39,000 feet] we then lost one engine bleed, so we’ve taken all the required actions for volcanic ash encounter.” The pilot said.
Thomas Cook dismissed the pilot’s claim as a “minor technical fault with its air conditioning.” They said the flight was not aborted due to volcanic ash and that the plane was not in any danger.
However, according to a former pilot, Lawrence Rayment, the problem was “uncommon,” the report said.
“It is a very uncommon fault. For it to happen as the plane flew through the ash cloud is a worry.” He said.
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A Probability Analysis of the Icelandic Volcano Most Likely to Erupt Next
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.
The moderators have now allocated the following probabilities of eruption to each of the volcanoes/volcano groups previously listed:
Probability of a second Icelandic volcano erupting this year: > 80 percent
Kolbeinsey ridge (Last erupted: 1999) or a new submarine fissure in its vicinity – probability of eruption: 80 percent
Krafla (1984)/ Theistareykjarbunga (< 1000 BC)/ Tjörnes fracture zone (1868) – probability of eruption: 52percent
Askja (1961) – probability of eruption: 66 percent
Bárðarbunga (1903) and neighboring Grímsvötn (2004) – probability of eruption: 84 percent
Grímsnes (> 3500 BC) – 40 percent
Reykjanes (1879) – 50 percent
Eyjafjallajökull – probability that the current round of eruption would last more than 30 days: 34 percent
Katla – probability of eruption: 64 percent
Other Icelandic volcanoes not mentioned on this list: probability of eruption: less than 40 percent
A Map of Iceland Volcanoes. Click image to enlarge.
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.
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Eyjafjallajökull has entered a Strombolian-like phase of explosive of activity, producing magma splatters, but less ash and smoke than the previous days.The plume, however, is till rising to a height of about 3,500m.
The magma in Eyjafjallajökull cauldron seems to be more viscous than in its neighboring Fimmvörðuháls fissure, the Icelandic Met Office reported, adding that the interaction of magma with ice and melt water had decreased.
Icelandic Met Office: Update on activity
Eruption in Eyjafjallajökull, Iceland
Current events
Deflation – 20 April 2010 13:30 [22:30UTC]
Latest available results from GPS stations around Eyjafjallajökull showed deflation associated with the eruption. This suggested that the volume of eruptive material which has been ejected already, relieves pressure off the volcano.
No movements associated with the Katla volcano are presently observed. END
Thórólfsfelli (Þórólfsfelli) View
Hvolsvelli View
Valahnúk View Latest webcam images of Eyjafjallajökull show the volcano is still petty much active. Frames frozen at 08:42UTC on April 21, 2010. Click images to enlarge.
There is no sign of lava flow as yet, but the situation could change rapidly.
“It seems that the ice cauldrons over the eruption site have coalesced to form a larger cauldron. In spite of magma splatters, no lava flow has been detected yet.”
“Heavy sound blasts have been heard and found near Eyjafjallajökull, especially south and east of the mountain. The viscosity of the magma from Eyjafjallajökull is higher than on Fimmvörðuháls and this enhances the explosive sound effect which can be heard over long distances.” it said.
Nearly all of the European airports have now reopened, however, the travel chaos with an unprecedented backlog of about 100,000 flight cancellations continues. The 6-day flight ban has cost the airlines more than one billion dollars. The actual cost to the unsustainable economies of Europe may be even larger.
Eldgosið í Fimmvörðuhálsi var undanfari eldgossins í Eyjafjallajökli. Árni Sæberg. Source: MBL-Island. Image may be subject to copyright.
A Silver Lining to the Ash Cloud?
University students in Britain have estimated the amount of carbon dioxide released by Eyjafjallajökull Eruption at 150,000 metric tons per day. The figure compares with 510,000 tons of CO2 per day emitted as a result of the planes flying normally over Europe. Their estimates seem to imply a ‘saving’ of 360,000 tons of CO2 per day as a result of the flight restriction over Europe. Source: Reuters report.
ASTER on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired the above image at 1:50 p.m. local time on April 19. The image shows both the eruption plume and the heat signature of lava at the volcano’s summit and at nearby Fimmvörduháls fissure. Source: NASA. Click image to enlarge.
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Eyjafjallajökull has been ejecting “lumps of lava” from the volcano crater in the glacier in the past few hours, local geo-scientists have reported.
The Electric Eyjafjallajökull. Date and photographer unknown. Image may be subject to copyright. Click Source for more photos. Click image to enlarge.
A column of ash steam and fumes rises above one of the three main craters at Eyjafjallajokull glacier. April 19, 2010. Soiurce: Reuters/Jon Gustafsson/Helicopter.is/Handout.
Meanwhile, Icelandic Meteorological Office reported that ashfall in the capital Reykjavik was unlikely. The risk is mitigated by easterly wind, blowing the ash away from the capital area, and rain forecast which could reduce the risk of ashfall.
Direct observations of Eyjafjallajökull showed that lave was being splattered out of the volcano. The volcanic plume reached a height of about 3,000m (10000 feet), peaking to about 5,200m (17000 feet).
The local experts reported the plume as being mostly white, “but with very dark pillars of smoke” blending in. “According to the Icelandic Meteorological Office website, the plume rose up to 4000 meters at 8:50 this morning. A lower plume indicates that water cannot enter the crater and that lava has begun to flow into it.”A report said.
There was no report of lava flows from the volcano, as of posting.
Ash Cloud Over Europe
Weather patterns continue to blow vast pockets of ash towards the UK and Ireland.
The UK Met Office, which is the North-west European Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre with responsibility for issuing the Volcanic Ash Advisories for volcanoes erupting in this area, said their priority and role is provide information that would support decision-making by NATS, CAA and other aviation authorities .
“It is for the aviation industry and regulator to set thresholds for safe ash ingestion. Currently, world-wide advice from ICAO is based on engine and airframe manufacturers stating that aircraft should not be exposed to any volcanic ash.” It said.
The above is an illustration of volcanic ash dispersion up to 20,000 ft, issued at 7 am on 19 April. Advisory charts are issued every six hours, for up to 18 hours ahead, by the Volcanic Ash Advisory Center.
Volcanic Ash Advisory Graphics from London Met Office. Image may be subject to copyright. Click image to enlarge.
Ash cloud from Eyjafjallajökull reached Canada’s Eastern seaboard
“The ash cloud is very diffuse, moving slowly and should not affect Canadian airports,” said an Environment Canada spokeswoman.
A forecaster at UK’s Met Office said it was unlikely that the ash would drift much further into North America.
“It is just skirting into the Newfoundland area over the next 12 to 18 hours. It doesn’t look as if it is going to get much further west than that, just on the coast and a little further inland.” He said.
Newfoundland is the closest tip of North America to Iceland.
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Earth sinks in the sea, the fair, bright stars disappear from the heavens
Ragnarök
The sun turns dark,
earth sinks in the sea,
the fair, bright stars
disappear from the heavens.
Sizzling blaze
around the tree of life
colossal heat plays with
the heavens. —Völuspá
The above stanzas were quoted from the famous Nordic poem Völuspá in the Iceland Review. Völuspá, Prophecy of the Völva, tells the story of creation of the world and how it comes to its end, and is arguably the most important source for understanding the Norse mythology.
Yggdrasil, a modern representation of the world tree which is central to Norse mythology. The world tree is a motif that appears in some Indo-European religions and mythologies. It is represented as a giant tree that supports the heavens, connects it to the earth, and the underground through its roots.
“It was like the sun had gone out in the middle of the day.”
Iceland Review editor Bjarni Brynjólfsson and photographer Páll Stefánsson wondered how it was to drive through the area affected by the eruption: “We tried driving into the darkness and it was like we had stepped into another dimension. We felt it was the end of the world as described in Völuspá, the old Icelandic Poem the tells the story of the end of the world called Ragnarök or Götterdämmerung in the famous opera by Wagner.” More …
What Happened to Disaster Tourism?
The rascals coiled their tails and ran for the coast. Nearby roads covered in a thick blanket of volcanic ash. Credit: Ómar Óskarssonvia MBL-Is. Image may be subject to copyright.
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The following images pertain to Iceland’s 0.5-km long volcanic fissure on the northern side of Fimmvörðuháls, east of the Eyjafjallajökull ice cap, which began erupting on March 20, 2010.
From Heljarkambur, looking down into Hrunagil, 22nd March 2010 at 16:00. Lava flows into the gully. The snow is covered with ash. Photo: Einar Kjartansson. Image may be subject to copyright. Source: Icelandic Met Office
Hrunagil 15th July 2007, just south of Heljarkambur. Mudcovered ice at the bottom of the gully. Photo: Einar Kjartansson. Image may be subject to copyright. Source: Icelandic Met Office.
The new mountain rises behind the crater. Photo by Páll Stefánsson. (Undated, but cover story published on March 26, 2010.) Source: Iceland Review. Image may be subject to copyright.
Eyjafjallajökull volcanic system erupted in the south of Iceland, forcing up to five hundred people to evacuate the area, prompting the authorities to declare a state of emergency and imposing a NO FLY Zone over much of Icelandic airspace.
Eruption at Eyjafjöll is consistent with recent global patterns of volcanism and tectonism. Wild eruptions may occur in Iceland and elsewhere—Fire-Earth
Eyjafjöll Volcanic System Erupts
Eyjafjallajökull volcanic system erupted in the south of Iceland, forcing up to five hundred people to evacuate the area, prompting the authorities to declare a state of emergency and imposing a NO FLY Zone over much of Icelandic airspace.
At least three flights en-route Reykjavik from the US were ordered back to Boston, and up to 1,500 are currently stranded in the Reykjavik airport.
Where the Eruption Occurred
Location of the Eruptive Fissure. Source: Nordic Volcanological Center. Click image to enlarge.
How Eruption Occurred
Eruption began at 23:52UTC on 20 March 2010 at the Eyjafjallajökull volcanic system (also known as Eyjafjöll volcano). A red cloud appeared above the volcano, which lightened up the sky above the eruptive fissure. “The eruption was preceded with intense seismicity and high rates of deformation in the weeks before the eruption, in association with magma recharging of the volcano. Immediately prior to the eruption the depth of seismicity had become shallow, but was not significantly enhanced from what it had been in the previous weeks. Deformation was occurring at rates of up to a centimetre a day since March 4 at continuous GPS sites installed within 12 km from the eruptive site.” IESUI reported.
“The eruption broke out with fire fountains and Hawaiian eruptive style on about 500 m long NE-SW oriented eruptive fissure at N63º38.1′, W19º26.4′ on the northeast shoulder of the volcano at an elevation of about 1000 m. It was observed from air from 4-7 A.M. on March 21. Lava flows short distance from the eruptive site, and minor eruption plume at elevation less than 1 km was deflected by wind to the west. Volcanic explosive index (VEI) is 1 or less. Tephra fall is minor or insignificant. The eruption occurs just outside the ice cap of Eyjafjallajökull, and no ice melting is occurring at present.”
Surface temperature satellite image taken by MODIS shows the location of the eruption. Source: NASA via Nordic Volcanological Center. Click image to enlarge.
Source: Nordic Volcanological Center. Click image to enlarge.
The eruption occurred at a fissure on a 2 km wide pass of ice-free land between Eyjafjallajökull and its large neighbor Katla volcano which is buried under Myrdalsjökull ice cap. “Katla volcano is known for powerful subglacial phreatomagmatic eruptions producing basaltic tephra layers with volumes ranging from ~0.01 to more than 1 cubic kilometer.” Institute of Earth Sciences at University of Iceland (IESUI) reported.
Eyjafjallajökull is known to have erupted at least three times in the last 1100 years (settlement of Iceland). “The most recent began in December 1821 and lasted intermittently for more than a year. The neighbouring volcano Katla erupted then on 26 June 1823. Other eruptions include an eruption in 1612 or 1613, and about 920 A.D.”
Eyjafjallajökull is known for several episodes of unrest, “with documented sill intrusions in 1994 and 1999.”
The 2.5-km-wide summit caldera of Eyjafjöll located west of Katla volcano. Photo by Oddur Sigurdsson, 1992 (Icelandic National Energy Authority). Click image to enlarge.
Seismic Activity
Eyjafjallajökull has been experiencing intensive Seismic activity since late February with most of the shocks occurring at 7 to 10 km depth. “On March 19th a seismic swarm began east of the top crater, originating between 4 and 7 km depth.” Iceland Met Office reported.
“On March 19th a seismic swarm, began east of the top crater, originating between 4 and 7 km depth. The activity migrated eastwards and towards the surface on Saturday, March 20th.”
What Local Experts Say
Scientists at Nordic Volcanological Center say further volcanic activity in the area may be imminent, based on the fact that three previous eruptions at Eyjafjallajokull had all primed the powerful Katla volcano to erupt.
“What we know is that an eruption in Eyjafjallajokull seems to be a trigger for Mt Katla,” geophysicist Pall Einarsson said.
“The volcano has been inflating since the beginning of the year, both rising and swelling, even though we were seeing increased seismic activity, it could have been months or years before we saw an eruption like this.”
Einarsson believes that an eruption at Mt Katla would be a much greater and more serious event because molten lava would melt the glacier causing large-scale flooding.
Geophysicist Magnus Gudmundsson says it’s impossible to predict how long the Eyjafjallajokull eruption could last. “It could end tomorrow, it could go on for a year or two, but this is a small eruption.”
More facts about Icelandic Volcanoes:
Mt Katla last erupted in 1918.
The most recent eruption at an Icelandic volcano occurred in 2004.
Eyjafjallajokull Volcanic System was dormant since 1821.
Iceland has experienced 21 eruptions in the past 50 years.
Only one of the 21 eruption caused serious damage when a volcano erupted in Westmann islands in 1973.
Map of Iceland Earthquakes (Last 48 hours) – Icelandic Met Office
A Map of Iceland Volcanoes. Click image to enlarge.
Fire Earth 
