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Rumblings from another Iceland volcano

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Libby

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  • Elders (Moderators)

Another Iceland volcano is showing signs of eruption. The last major volcanic eruption back in 2010 caused a shut-down of UK and Western European air space, leaving vast numbers of people stranded. Much more is known about the risks to aircraft since then, but currently there are a lot of UK people out of the country on their summer holidays (schools go back next week) so if the air space is closed they won't be able to get back by sea as the passenger ferries are mostly fully booked.

And then there's the effect on aircraft who are merely flying through UK/European air space, partly because they sometimes fly a "great circle" route, but mostly because they like to pick up the jet stream, especially when flying to and from the USA east coast. That's more cost-effective.

I just hope that if this volcano erupts, there won't be undue pressure on the authorities for reasons of profit or convenience. Although it's stressful to be stranded away from home especially with children, and I would hope that airport authorities learned from 2010 and have protocols in place. Safety should be any government's highest priority.

The Icelandic government is used to dealing with the geology of the country. The island sits on top of the northern reach of the North Atlantic Ridge. It's probably as active as Hawaii, but whereas Hawaiian volcanism just oozes magma, Icelandic volcanoes can explode with great violence.

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  • Elders (Moderators)

Oh, well done, Darlene. I don't have the memory for details of where people come from. I miss the Member Map.

I hope Josef is ok. I know that people in Iceland are well used to geological activity there, but this is a potentially serious situation.

I'm following a discussion on another forum, and someone posted a link to a very informative blog: https://volcanocafe.wordpress.com/2014/08/24/bardarbunga-nature-of-the-beast/

I understand only some of the technical stuff, but the opening few paragraphs of that blog entry:

First let me write one thing, and that is that we are not in Kansas anymore. And with that I mean that we are in totally uncharted country. Icelandic Met Office has the best volcanologists on the planet, and they pretty much never make a mistake. They are quite simply the best and their reputation at this site is set in solidified lava.

So, when people like that in an hour first states that a small eruption has started and an hour later recant on the statement it does not hamper our confidence in their abilities, it is instead a sign of how “out there” what we are seeing right now really is.

What is happening now is really like if you walked down a familiar street and turn a corner and find yourself in the fabled Land of Oz

So it is time to sit down and calmly go through what is happening, and what has happened previously. Of course this will just skim the surface, but hopefully it will be enlightening.

shows that not only is this a complex situation, but that there's a high degree of confidence in the Iceland Met Office.

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  • Elders (Moderators)

Good news that he's ok and far away from the danger zone.

The latest news, from what I've been able to gather, is that the upwelling of magma is travelling along one of the very many fissures and could join up with another magma chamber. Apparently, at the rate the magma is travelling, that could happen this weekend or next week.The result is likely to be explosive, and melt some of the glaciers, with consequent local flooding and a massive amount of debris being flung high up into the atmosphere.

Where any potential debris travels depends on the wind direction, and probably the jet stream, and probably the next weather system travelling north up the east coast of the USA and the heading east across the Atlantic towards Europe.

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