According to Rúv it appears that British Geological Survey did pay for the set-up of six seismometers around Eyjafjallajökull and Katla volcanoes. This seismometers are able to detect lower frequencies better then current seismometers around Eyjafjallajökull and Katla. This type of sensors are normally called broadband seismometers and have frequency range down to 0.001Hz and up to 60Hz. I do not know how far the sensors that BSG did cost. But I am going to assume that they go down a bit farther then IMO sensors in the area. According to Rúv the sensors are already up and where on-line earlier this year.
They are located at following location.
Mælifellssandi not far from Slysaöldu, Rjúpnafell east of Mýrdalsjökul, two are located both sides of Eyjafjallajökull on Ásólfsskálaheiði at south and Smjörgili at north not far from Gígjökli glacier. Fifth sensor is going to be set-up in Pétursey in Mýrdal. The location of the six sensors has not been decided yet.
The cost of this project is about 100.000 pound according to Rúv.
The reason for this is that authorities in UK (and Europe) want to get more warning if there is a big eruption in Katla volcano. Mostly to prevent the air chaos that took place when Eyjafjallajökull erupted earlier this year.
Five sensors where in the area before. The sensor net is going to be really sensitive when the new sensors go on-line at IMO headquarters in Reykjavík. But more sensors give more accurate location of earthquakes, both in depth and location.
The news from Rúv in Icelandic. Use Google Translate at own risk.
Bretar setja upp jarðskjálftamæla (Rúv.is)
Bonjour, je répond en francais car mon anglais écrit est pauvre.
voici ma question: pourquoi dépenser autant d’argent? De toute manière si il y a une erruption se ne sont pas les sysmomètres qui empêcherons un éventuel nuage de cendres.
Why spend so much money?
Because its not known, what effects a possible eruption of Katla (or another one of Eyjafjallajökull) would have. To have a bit more pre-warning and understand this volcanoes better can help here.
They can get that pre-warning with more sensors and more data. That is why they are installing all those sensors around Eyjafjallajökull and Katla.
But in the end it does not save them. As there are more volcanoes in Iceland that are fully capable to disrupt air traffic in same way as Eyjafjallajökull did and those volcanoes are badly to not at all monitored today.
Oh goodie – more toys for Lurking : )
I would put sensors in volcanoes with potencial for major explosive eruptions that can send their ash well into Europe: Hekla, Katla, Oraefjokull, Askja, Bardarbunga, Grimsvotn, and just because of its large caldera, Esjufjoll.
Another area that I think is very BADLY monotorized, is the region between Katla and Vatnajokull, where the huge fissure eruptions of Edgjá, Laki and Veidivotn have occurred. There are no sensors/stations here!!
Lastly, I am not sure whether the large calderas under Lanjökull and Hofkökull are capable of delivering large explosive eruptions, so maybe I would install stations there as well.
I agree and will add that it would be well worth the $1 or 2 million (or whatever) that it would cost to wire up the rest of the active volcanoes. The major airlines and the northern European govt’s should scrape the money together, as a big Icelandic eruption forewarning to all of them would be priceless. The wind usually carries the ash south, SE or SW so it’s just a wee bit strange that the airlines haven’t sprung for the whole chebang.
Toys for lurking… {snicker} only if I can get at the data.
One of the groups I used to listen to as I was growing up… was Blue Öyster Cult. They were also one of the first US groups to boldly place an umalt in the name for no apparent reason, other than it looking cool. Again (cuz I’ve stated it before) form the song “Godzilla”:
“History shows again and again how nature points up the folly of man”
And right on que, after the announcement about British Geological Survey’s equipment…
Iceland has a quake cluster zipping off to the Northeast of Reykavik… far from and headed away from the UK seismo’s.
Meh, they will be useful anyway. Data is data.
Lurking: It would be neat to see a plot of this zipping line of quakes. Looks like MAR there is tearing apart…
There was this band called Tröjan that was also early with the au(u)mlat (had to put in an extra u there). I heard they where pretty big in the rest of the world. When they came to sweden they had hired the largest venue here. 16 people showed up for the concert.
Thing was that in swedish their a(u)mlated version of the name meant Sweater. Not a good name for a rock band…
Plots in the other thread where I found that we were actually talking about it.