General Volcanic Activity Thread!

[bobbydog]

earthquake swarm at Katla

http://en.vedur.is/earthquakes-and-volcanism/earthquakes/myrdalsjokull/

[Argyllcraig]

What kind of Eruption would occur if Katla did decide to blow? and would it have an effect on the Climate air travel ?

Katla if she were to erupt would likely have an eruptive phase of VEI 4 or 5 (only once has it ever believed to have hit 6) as this is the historical norm.

In context Eyjafjallajokull's eruptive phase was VEI 3-4 and was mainly the result of the rapid melt of the glacier above the volcanic fissures that created the explosive reaction with the magma.

The biggest eruption in living memory was probably Mount Pinatubo in 1991 which had a VEI6 eruption and that was a beast!!!

As for effects on climate... mixed opinion, volcanoes this far north tend to have a smaller bearing on climate than if it was on the equator for example but again that would depend on how much material is emitted and to what altitudes.

Flights depend on the immediate weather patterns and where the wind blows.

[The PIT]

Katla tends to 3 - 5 although possible smaller eruptions in the past have gone unnoticed as the technology wasn't in place. Shouldn't effect us too much bar air travel and if the wind is the right direction outside chance of a bit of dust on the cars more so in Shetland and Scotland. I wouldn't worry about it too much unless you're going on holiday to Iceland that is.

Katla tends to 3 - 5 although possible smaller eruptions in the past have gone unnoticed as the technology wasn't in place. Shouldn't effect us too much bar air travel and if the wind is the right direction outside chance of a bit of dust on the cars more so in Shetland and Scotland. I wouldn't worry about it too much unless you're going on holiday to Iceland that is.

Speculation is that a dike is being injected under Caldera.

[john pike]

2 updates from RSOE

update 1

A surge of small earthquakes has been reported around Iceland's Katla volcano, but scientists say there is no immediate concern that it will trigger a dangerous eruption. Earthquakes around Katla are common, but an increase in cluster earthquakes is not. Pall Einarsson of the University of Iceland said Tuesday: "It's one of the most feared volcanos, so we're closely monitoring it. "That said, it's normal for earthquakes to be detected around Katla. What's a bit unusual is that we're seeing swarms of small earthquakes, some occurring every 10 minutes or so." Iceland sits on a large volcanic hot spot in the Atlantic's mid-oceanic ridge.

http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/site/?pageid=event_update_read&edis_id=VA-20110902-32189-ISL&uid=11348

update 2 (part of as quite long)

A surge of small earthquakes has been reported around Iceland's Katla volcano, but scientists said Tuesday there is no immediate concern that the increased seismic activity will trigger a dangerous eruption. Although earthquakes around Katla are common, an increase in cluster earthquakes is not. "It's one of the most feared volcanos, so we're closely monitoring it," said Pall Einarsson of the University of Iceland. "That said, it's normal for earthquakes to be detected around Katla. What's a bit unusual is that we're seeing swarms of small earthquakes, some occurring every 10 minutes or so." Iceland sits on a large volcanic hot spot in the Atlantic's mid-oceanic ridge. Eruptions, common throughout Iceland's history, are often triggered by seismic activity when the Earth's plates move and when magma from deep underground pushes its way to the surface. Like earthquakes, predicting the timing of volcanic eruptions is an imprecise science. Last year's eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano forced hundreds of people to be evacuated and paralyzed international air travel for weeks because of a hovering ash cloud.

http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/site/?pageid=event_update_read&edis_id=VA-20110902-32189-ISL&uid=11350

please read link

[Gray-Wolf]

http://www.simnet.is...ke/tremoren.htm

is this wind or something I'm not used to on Hekla? (since just before 16:00 UTC )

Edited September 6, 2011 by Gray-Wolf

[Paranoid]

I think there was a tremor to the West of Hekla around that kind of time. There have been a few tremors in that area over the last month or so.

[Gray-Wolf]

No , it's the long low 'harmonic' looking line? Anyone used to recording knows what a harmony looks like on the screen of a modern PC recording studio and that slow long rumble is either wind or something else (IMHO)

We'll know soon enough as if it is magma migrating then we'll have a glacial flood once it nears the surface

Edited September 6, 2011 by Gray-Wolf

[Paranoid]

Ah, in that case it might be the Hekla geophone picking up activity from Katla (one of the theories i've read on Jon Frimann's blog).

[Gray-Wolf]

Thanks , just popped over there and felt very pleased for myself! Who'd have known eh? I might actually know something!

[yamkin]

Indonesia’s Mount Lokon erupts four times

MANADO, SULAWESI (BNO NEWS) -- Indonesia's Mount Lokon erupted four times on Tuesday after increasing its volcanic activity during the past week, officials said.......................http://channel6newsonline.com/2011/09/indonesias-mount-lokon-erupts-four-times/

Edited September 6, 2011 by yamkin

[john pike]

Seismic activity increases at Iceland volcano

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/09/06/ap/europe/main20101974.shtml

[yamkin]

Remote Alaska Volcano Resumes Dome Growth

The lava dome at a remote Alaska volcano has resumed growing, prompting officials to raise its alert level.............

http://abcnews.go.co...ory?id=14460886

Edited September 7, 2011 by yamkin

[The PIT]

Remote Alaska Volcano Resumes Dome Growth

The lava dome at a remote Alaska volcano has resumed growing, prompting officials to raise its alert level.............

http://abcnews.go.co...ory?id=14460886

Rather funny that as only yesterday they dropped it.

Theories that Katla sesminc activity maybe due to hydrothermal activity which could also be a sign that magma is getting injected into system. This doesn't mean it's definitely going to go pop though. So it's a case of watch and see what happens. Anybody think that Ex Hurricane Katia and an Eruption of Katla would go well together?

[Kiwi]

Anybody think that Ex Hurricane Katia and an Eruption of Katla would go well together?

They're clearly made for each other ....just j,k apart

[sammie]

Anybody think that Ex Hurricane Katia and an Eruption of Katla would go well together?

Oh hells yeah! I bet Katla is just sat there waiting for her sister Katia to show up so they can go paint the town together - jkjk kids!

The one thing that really don't get is where this theory about seismic activity around Katla being due to hydrothermal activity. I gave it a quick google and couldn't find much on it (or in general) that made much sense to me - someone wanna hook a sister up with some info?

[Gray-Wolf]

http://www.simnet.is/jonfr500/earthquake/tremoren.htm

Any info anyone?

[yamkin]

Ash cloud 800 meter high at Dukono volcano, Halmahera, Indonesia

Dukono volcano (North Halmahera regency, Indonesia) activity increased on September 6, 2011 in sending volcanic ash clouds as high as 800 meters in the sky.................http://earthquake-re...hera-indonesia/

Edited September 8, 2011 by yamkin

[john pike]

Volcano Activity in Iceland on Friday, 02 September, 2011 at 16:07 (04:07 PM) UTC.

situation update 5

There are no definite signs of an imminent eruption in the sub-glacial volcano Katla in south Iceland although regular series of minor earthquakes and increased geothermal heat indicate that the volcano is expanding. Katla remains under close observation. Scientists and the Department of Civil Protection have concluded that while there is no imminent risk of a volcanic eruption, these may be long-term indications that the volcano is preparing to erupt. However, similar events have occurred before without them leading to an eruption, Morgunbladid reports. “People are very calm about it. There will be a public meeting in Vík on Monday with Magnús Tumi [Gudmundsson, geophysicist],†said Kjartan Thorkelsson, chairman of the Civil Protection Committee of the counties Rangárvallasýsla and Vestur-Skaftafellssýsla. “The Department of Civil Protection will also meet on Monday and decide what happens next, what we take from the public meeting.

We are well prepared if Katla were to erupt,†he added. Ingi Már Björnsson, farmer at Sudur-Foss in Mýrdalshreppur, agreed that locals are calm. “I was born and raised here and one has always dismissed talk of Katla being on the verge of erupting, though I find these circumstances a little different than before.†“One is a bit more conscious and has more belief that something like this could happen after the share that we’ve had here,†Björnsson added, referring to the three volcanic eruptions that have hit south Iceland in the past three years: Fimmvörduháls in March 2010, Eyjafjallajökull in April 2010 and Grímsvötn in May 2011. “It would be best for the agriculture and tourism industry if the eruption were to start in the autumn. The ideal time would be November when the slaughter season is behind us and all the livestock is inside. None of the highland pastures have been herded yet so it wouldn’t be good if a volcanic eruption were to start now,†Björnsson concluded. Sheep herding and roundup in south Iceland will begin next weekend.

situation update 6

Iceland’s Civil Protection Department has increased its monitoring of the North Atlantic island’s largest volcano, Katla, following increased seismic activity in the surrounding area, according to a statement on its Web Site. “We can’t rule out that†an eruption is under way, Magnus Tumi Gudmundsson, a geologist at the Institute of Earth Science with the University of Iceland, told national broadcaster RUV. “It’s possible that magma is gathering underneath the mountain.†Gudmundsson said it was too early to say exactly what was happening at the volcano. Three earthquakes were measured in the Katla area after 7 p.m. local time, according to Iceland’s Meteorological Office. The largest quake was about 2.0 on the Richter scale, the Met Office said. Katla had two small eruptions in 1955 and 1999, neither of which managed to break the ice covering its 10 kilometer-wide (6 mile) caldera. The last major eruption in Katla began in 1918, when ash explosions from the crater didn’t subside for more than five weeks. Ash from Iceland’s Grimsvotn volcano forced flight cancelations in Scotland, northern England and Germany in May. An eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in April last year caused the cancellation of more than 100,000 flights on concern glass-like particles formed from lava might melt in aircraft engines and clog turbines. Historically, Eyjafjallajokull has been known to erupt one to two years prior to Katla

http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/site/?pageid=event_update&edis_id=VA-20110902-32189-ISL

Whole country - earthquakes during the last 48 hours

http://en.vedur.is/earthquakes-and-volcanism/earthquakes/

Iceland Volcano and Earthquake blog

http://www.jonfr.com/volcano/

good blog for updates

[The PIT]

http://www.simnet.is...ke/tremoren.htm

Any info anyone?

I would say that's wind.

[Argyllcraig]

http://www.simnet.is...ke/tremoren.htm

Any info anyone?

It could be the wind... where that seisometer is located it has been pretty windy for the last 24 hours or so (30mph) so it may be picking up alot of background noise at the moment. Some of it may be noise from Katla especially if you run along the 1600 hour line and compare this to the icelandic meto this coincides with what appears to be another harmonic tremor building again so i wouldnt be surprised to see a cluster of quakes over the next couple of hours.

On another note... looks like Icelandic Authorities are uping their preparedness and have issued local warnings. we have also got a new webcam as well which can be found at http://live.mila.is/katla/

[Gray-Wolf]

http://www.jonfr.com/volcano/

Comments on the latrest blog topic suggest more equipment went in at the Vid cam site today?

[Argyllcraig]

Yeah Gray-wolf. It does look that way, there were people on the cam for much of the day and a secondary camera went up too. Not 100% sure yet what they have put in though.

[bobbydog]

i'm no expert, but from my observations, seismic activity has increased over the past few weeks. however there is nothing to suggest any rapid increase. it seems to be a slow process towards any eruption, if it should occur. we should be aware that it may just fizzle out, or that any eruption could be small. i think we all have expectations of a big event but a reality check says it could be a disappointment for some. that said, we never know. by their very nature, volcanoes are unpredictable!

[bobbydog]

tremor spike- keep an eye on this one...

http://hraun.vedur.is/ja/oroi/hvo.gif

[Gray-Wolf]

If we have another 'ash cloud' event I'd kinda be split between having a 'cane remnant push it poleward (and save air transport but run the risk of a worse melt year across the areas where ash was laid down) or just putting up with another few weeks of air traffic disruptions?