iceland Bárðarbunga and Askja - Volcanic Activity

[toggerob]

jonfr

 

According to latest news a large cauldron has formed in Dyngjujökull glacier. The cauldron is about 1 km wide and it is deep (no mention of how deep it is in the news).

Update 1: No eruption has yet started. It is however now expected to start without warning. The cauldron are forming due an rift valley formation in this area.

[Yarmy]

The RUV twitter feed makes interesting reading:

 

https://twitter.com/RUVfrettir

 

BREAKING: Pressure in the magma north of #Bardarbunga #volcano increasing. A wide and deep depression has formed in the glacier. -scientists

 

A rift valley has formed north of #Bardarbunga volcano, partly under glacier. Could indicate that the eruption might move to the glacier.

[Rustynailer]

The glacier will take a few hours melting above the "glacier fissure" If it is say 200 m high fountains, it should be through by tea time, I suppose. We will see.....

 

If there is no eruption and it is just the earth moving apart and collapsing down under the glacier in to the void created by the fissure/rifting movement then noting further may happen and it/we move on to something else...

 

My best shot is that more lava has reached the surface and it may break through, there will be water  flowing somewhere I think, the question is where, this could be a big help deciding whats happening...Water.

They(IMO) can tell if more flows in to the lake in the crater of Grims' I think.

 

Anyhow, all very interesting indeed. The uptic is very clear now. About 10;20 Iceland time looking quickly without glasses.

Edited September 3, 2014 by Rustynailer

[Moomin71]

The glacier will take a few hours melting above the "glacier fissure" If it is say 200 m high fountains, it should be through by tea time, I suppose. We will see.....

No it will take a while unless it gets very explosive, the ice and meltwater will cool the surface of the lava which sort of insulates it, that's why Grimsvotn and Bardabunga are almost completely entombed in ice, they've erupted most of the time sub glacially.  A good indicator as to what these volcanos probably look like is Herdubreid, this was similar to Grimsvotn, etc in that it was formed beneath an ice cap.  

 

This graben development is getting very interesting, things could get considerably more active, this looks to me like it has the potential to become a rift fissure eruption, which if it happens partly beneath the ice will prove explosive and long lasting.

 

M

[Rustynailer]

No it will take a while unless it gets very explosive, the ice and meltwater will cool the surface of the lava which sort of insulates it, that's why Grimsvotn and Bardabunga are almost completely entombed in ice, they've erupted most of the time sub glacially.  A good indicator as to what these volcanos probably look like is Herdubreid, this was similar to Grimsvotn, etc in that it was formed beneath an ice cap.  

 

This graben development is getting very interesting, things could get considerably more active, this looks to me like it has the potential to become a rift fissure eruption, which if it happens partly beneath the ice will prove explosive and long lasting.

 

M

I think you are right about the Ice, Do you think the possible lava is only flowing out under the ice rather than, the fountains like further North? Is the water running off without getting at the magma? there must be some melting.

 

There are planes and helicopters flying all over the place today, lets hope we get some pictures soon.

Edited September 3, 2014 by Rustynailer

[The PIT]

Looking at the latest tremor maps these suggest that intrusion has passed by Askja so we may get another fissure eruption NE of there.

Things in the next few days could get very interesting indeed.

[john pike]

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

Up she goes again

Also noting the quakes going back south under the glacier

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

[Gael_Force]

No eruption under the glacier yet - a kilometre wide rift valley is forming and ice is cracking/sinking into the void created between the plates.

 

 

Short translate from mbl.is regarding the rifting.

http://www.ruv.is/frett/mikill-sigdalur-hefur-myndast

Kristin Jonsdottir earthquake scientist with IMO says the rift is one kilometer wide and it is so deep that it is apparent in the glacier, it is breaking the glacier tip. It is the earth itself that is depressing not the glacier. “This is a wave of divergence that we have been observing since 16th August , the plates are moving apart. So we see depression / rift valley – Thingvellir is a nice example of a rift valley, of course a very large rift valley.â€

[toggerob]

[john pike]

http://www.ruv.is/frett/scientists-advised-to-leave-holuhraun

[lorenzo]

http://www.ruv.is/frett/scientists-advised-to-leave-holuhraun

 

Add that story to the striking image of the big fat hole in the Ice Cap and..... tick tick 

[BrickFielder]

  Quick update and you will be pleased to hear no wild guess about the plumbing system below the volcano, though I did notice the following in the material released by the IMO.

 

"The Bárðarbunga volcano is underlain by a dense intrusive complex (probably gabbro), about 12 km in diameter.
Below the centre of the caldera, material with lower density occurs, possibly a caldera fill, a subsided block or both. Existence of magma chamber is uncertain. If a shallow level magma chamber exists below the Bárðarbunga volcano a likely location is at the base of the lower density region.
Earthquakes occur at larger depth indicating magma movements below 5 km depth.Hamarinn volcano lacks caldera and pronounced high
density rocks at depth. The 190 km long fissure swarm may be partially fed by lateral magma flow from a shallow level magma chamber below Bárðarbunga next to the central volcano.Volcanic fissures farther out on the fissure swarm may be fed by magma from a deep seated reservoir."

 

From earthquake activity it does look like things might be moving closer to the ice field.

 

I was thinking the northern extent of the earth quakes was the fissure continuing northwards but I am now thinking it is something slightly seperate at the moment.

 

Tremor charts show the continuing eruption  red lines, but als0 a pick up in lava movement along the fissure.

 

That lava movement does not appear to show up on the monitor closer to Bárðarbunga (GFUM) (blue lines). Could it be that the fissure has opened up deep enough to reach down to a new source of magma ?  Its a bit to early to start guessing about that.

 

 

 

According to latest news a large cauldron has formed in Dyngjujökull glacier. The cauldron is about 1 km wide and it is deep. This means lava must be close to the surface somewhere under the glacier. Note the 1km wide applies to the melt area not to the fissure size below.

 

 

It is reported that GPS measurements show that the volume of the dyke intrusion has increased since the beginning of the eruption; this signifies that more magma is entering the dyke than is being erupted.

 

The most worrying of all reports I have seen is the following.

 

"Recent radar images show a 0.5 – 1 km wide depression that has formed both in front of and beneath Dyngjujökull. Signs of the depression extend about 2 km into the ice margin. The increasing thickness of the glacier decreases the visual extent of fracturing associated with the depression, so it is likely that the area extends further beneath Dyngjujökull."

 

That looks like rifting to me which may mean the depth is down to a magma layer deep in the crust. I think things are starting to look a little out of the ordinary.

Edited September 3, 2014 by BrickFielder

[Moomin71]

Add that story to the striking image of the big fat hole in the Ice Cap and..... tick tick 

Quite right Lorenzo.  That photo is pretty impressive, it must be one hell of a feather under that ice to result in a surface expression of that magnitude! 

 

Picking up on Rustynailers point, there will be some melt although where that's going at the moment is a bit of a mystery unless it isn't erupting yet and that depression is as the official web sites are suggesting is just the result of rifting.  If it is erupting under there it will be melting but could be getting trapped, a bit like a dam, this will give way at some point with a huge outburst flood.  Grimsvotn did this in 1994 if I remember correctly and took out a number of bridges and sections of the main ring road.

 

M

[Rustynailer]

external.jpg

Is that Grims...? It looks very like it. She basically looks like that gradually snowed over since 2011 eruption.I am almost certain that is the picture you posted Grímsvötn today or recently.(sorry about the bold type, I copy pasted Grímsvötn because I do not have a Ã¶ on my keyboard  )

 

I think we are looking at this ...

Right now 18;53 UK time   

Fissure cut through saturated alluvial flood plane= Dangerous explosive activity probable.  70/30 odds on.

 

Closer shot 18;57   

 

 

If a lot of water suddenly hit a 1000 degree wall of porous alluvial pebbles/sand mix it(the explosion) would catapult the pebbles a long way, great fun on mythbusters  perhaps...

Edited September 3, 2014 by Rustynailer

[john pike]

http://www.livefromiceland.is/webcams/bardarbunga-2/

There back on again

[swebby]

Nice. So a little way to go before Hotlips Holuhran fries me a river.

 

According to wiki...

 

"Jökulsá á Fjöllum streams over the waterfalls Selfoss, Dettifoss, and Hafragilsfoss, the second of which is the most powerful waterfall in Europe,..."

 

I'm guessing a Lahar flowing over that would be a spectacular sight.

 

I get back from work to see things are starting to get very interesting, some very good/informative posts on here today. 

 

The 2nd of those waterfalls was the one they used in the film Prometheus.  Worth looking at some images of them as a sizeable lahar or  jokulhlaup could re landscape these features very quickly.

[Rustynailer]

I get back from work to see things are starting to get very interesting, some very good/informative posts on here today. 

 

The 2nd of those waterfalls was the one they used in the film Prometheus.  Worth looking at some images of them as a sizeable lahar or  jokulhlaup could re landscape these features very quickly.

Here she is at 19;16 UK time   Saturated alluvial deposits are yellow when the river is en flow, otherwise trib's dry out...

 

Sign of the times even the rain drop is a question mark...

 

Just soon as the orange dots  get  here we will know    The first on 99% will do Confirmed are . Very near now

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the other hand this one has encountered pressure of the immovable object kind of late    If you ask me the crack is chasing something that it has chased before.....

Edited September 3, 2014 by Rustynailer

[swebby]

Thought I'd post a link to some detailed maps of the jokulsa valley/flood plain.

 

The principle link to a variety maps is

 

http://www.vatnajokulsthjodgardur.is/thjodgardurinn/kort-og-kortasja/

 

The detailed map of the upper reaches of jokulsa including dyngjujokoll, askja, holuhruan and hedubreid is the 1st link down on the list

 

http://www.vatnajokulsthjodgardur.is/media/fixlandia/N&A_100k_ISL_20131022.jpg

 

For ref - the mila cams are I believe posted on the top of vadalda looking sw over the fissure holuhruan fields towards the glaciers edge.

[Rustynailer]

Thought I'd post a link to some detailed maps of the jokulsa valley/flood plain.

 

The principle link to a variety maps is

 

http://www.vatnajokulsthjodgardur.is/thjodgardurinn/kort-og-kortasja/

 

The detailed map of the upper reaches of jokulsa including dyngjujokoll, askja, holuhruan and hedubreid is the 1st link down on the list

 

http://www.vatnajokulsthjodgardur.is/media/fixlandia/N&A_100k_ISL_20131022.jpg

 

For ref - the mila cams are I believe posted on the top of vadalda looking sw over the fissure holuhruan fields towards the glaciers edge.

There has been an uptick at just before 8 our time. Don't be surprised if the Bada1 cam fissure runs out of smoke for a bit.

 I am dining so I will be brief...

Edited September 3, 2014 by Rustynailer

[lorenzo]

Folks may have spotted this on the main IMO page, given a couple of maps previous detail location of fissure. This is the draft map of the lava. Apologies if posted already, not scanned back through entire thread yet..

[Rustynailer]

There is a peculiar up and down that I think may be significant.   It is probably out of our range as humans with all the kit in the field...

Parallel rift destabilization. Like a letter Z (Bada in middle) perhaps, we will see.  Something does not line up. The volcano is out of place I feel, peace and quiet may be disturbed/cut short at short notice...Only a thought and far from being fact I might add.

In very slow motion a vortex, therefore rock grinding against rock in the vortex will heat up, magma in the vortex will heat up. It is all about various aspects of deep physics.  Bada is a heat pump or rather she is the product of one.  Here we go again...21;14 UK time ... Waves and troughs getting bigger...

Edited September 3, 2014 by Rustynailer

[john pike]

http://www.ruv.is/frett/holuhraun-increased-tremor-unexplained

[Rustynailer]

http://www.ruv.is/frett/holuhraun-increased-tremor-unexplained

 "We are at 800 meters above sealine; about 200 metres above the potential reach of a glacial flood, quite safe and sound." I like the faith in reasoning. "We will be fine in Askja hut."

​I hope you are safe and well and I hope you take pictures for all to see in the ensuing very interesting period. Good luck to the 30.

 

Grímsvötn lake is filling up ATM nicely, don't even think about dropping that in the hot fissure...     

 

Did somebody(Carl and friends at VC) say possibility of "evolved magma" being in Badas' ring fault area, bad bad stuff that, it blows up too easy like TNT. That would make my VE 5 a 6 dead easy.

 

 

DYN 4+ just I think 21;48 Iceland time.

 

It is registered at 

2014-09-03 20:41:27 -17.385 64.668 0.8 0.6 auto

 

  It will be checked then given a Mag rating(as late as tomorrow in this rush)*. Looks like a big drop in tremor after that quake, a trough I think.    That could be magma/lava on the move.

 

The auto correct has revised up to 

2014-09-03 20:41:27 -17.414 64.668 2.2 8.7 qu

 

 Already... The only Red circle on this caldera map 

On the way back up again with the tremor. 22;08

 

Iceland Uni today...

 

Only DYN is still pumping now...Bada... @22;37UK. Can actualy see it better in the thumbnail without clicking 

Bada 1 cam is very nice ATM...

 

Off now, last shot at where the action will be with the lava and the fissure, see line...

Edited September 3, 2014 by Rustynailer

[Sainsbo]

Sorry if this vid has already been posted, but I thought it was great to watch.

 

[john pike]

For anyone who has not got this link

Looks very impressive tonight