Volcano and earthquake activity in Iceland
Here is a image from Icelandic Met Office about the earthquakes that have been taking place in Krísuvík volcano over the past few weeks. This plot shows the latest 15 days.
This image is from Icelandic Met Office. Copyright belongs to them. The original copy can be found here. Click on the image for full resolution.
Here is a high resolution image of the Hekla volcano system earthquake yesterday. The earthquake was located in south-east part of the Hekla volcano system. But that area has been having earthquakes for few months now, starting few years ago. I am unclear on why this is happening in Hekla volcano system. But sometimes Hekla volcano erupts in fissures (crater row eruptions). But not from the main volcano.
This earthquake was small like the earthquakes before him, registering only at ML2.43. The depth was 10 km. It was only 15.4 km away from my geophone. But that is the reason why it appear so clearly on my geophone.
Small weather news
Here is the view from my apartment in Hvammstangi earlier today. This is due to a storm that is coming from the north of Iceland. The winds are strong and the snow is on the move due that. The frost is only about -3C. But with the wind it goes down to -20 to -40C.
Click on both pictures to get full resolution.
I have been viewing data on Krísuvík volcano and what has been happening recently. Out of this checking I have come to a conclusion that a eruption in Krísuvík volcano is going to place in immanent future. When that might happen is impossible to know for sure.
Far as I know there is no written history on the last eruption at Krísuvík volcano that took place in 14th century. Because of this lack of historic witness of the last eruption in Krísuvík volcano it is impossible to know how the Krísuvík volcano is going to behave before it starts erupting.
It is my un-professional opinion that when a eruption starts in Krísuvík volcano we are going to see something like that took place in Krafla volcano when it erupts. Not exactly like Krafla volcano but something along those lines in eruption style. But Krísuvík volcano is going to have Hawaiian type eruption style when it starts erupting. Unless the eruption takes place under water. Then a Surtseyjan style eruption takes place while a water can get into the crater.
Please note that this is a theory that I am working on. It might work out in part or in full. But then again it might be completely wrong and not work at all. If the second option is true, then I am going to start again and make a new idea on what is going on at Krísuvík volcano.
I got this pictures in a email from a person how wants to remain nameless. Don’t ask me why, it is just a request that I got with the email and I see no reason not to grand it.
The hot springs at the south end of Kleifarvatn lake hot springs. The hot springs there are not new. But they do get lost when the water level rises in Kleifarvatn lake. When the water level dropped after the year 2000 years in the area this hot springs where for the first time visible to humans.
Click on all the pictures to get a full resolution.
The earthquakes swarm at Krísuvík (close to this area) continues with few breaks it seems.
I don’t have a lot to write about the earthquake swarm in Krísuvík volcano that took place there yesterday. But according to IMO the largest earthquake was felt in Hafnafjöður and in Reykjavík.
Here are the wave form data of the largest and the second largest earthquakes. There are no location data in this image. As I have not had time to put them into the wave form data.
From Hekubyggð. This is the ML2.8 earthquake.
From Hvammstangi. This is the ML2.8 earthquake. This one is low-pass filtered at 4Hz.
From Hekubyggð. This is the ML2.5 earthquake.
All pictures can be clicked to see the higher resolution of them.
In a press release by Almannavarnir (Iceland Civil Protection) it is announced the lowering of the warning level around Eyjafjallajökull from danger area down to uncertainty level. There are also some travel restriction lifted that have been in place around Eyjafjallajökull volcano. The current warning level is the lowest warning level that Almannavarnir has.
The Press release by Almannavarnir in Icelandic. Use Google Translate at own risk.
Lækkun á almannavarnastigi frá neyðarstigi niður á óvissustig vegna eldgossins í Eyjafjallajökli (almannavarnir.is)
Icelandic News about this.
Almannavarnastig lækkað í óvissustig (mbl.is)
Almannavarnir lækka viðbúnaðarstig (Rúv.is)
Almannavarnastig vegna Eyjafjallajökuls lækkað (Vísir.is)
Over the past two weeks there have been signs appearing that a eruption might be close in Grímsfjall volcano. But a GPS station named Skrokkalda. This GPS station has started to move north, but this indicates that inflation has started in Grímsfjall volcano at full power. This did also happen at the same GPS station in 2004 before the eruption in Grímsfjall volcano that same year. But it is debated if this movement was created by ice or by a dike intrusion in Grímsfjall volcano. It is my just my personal opinion on this movement that takes place at the GPS station.
It currently remains to be seen if this northerly movement continues or if it starts to deflate again. So far this is the only indicator that Grímsfjall volcano is getting ready for a eruption. When this did happen in the year 2004 it was almost three weeks after this process started until a eruption took place. But then a glacier flood did trigger the start of the eruption in the year 2004.
For the moment the only thing to do is to wait and see what happens with Grímsfjall volcano. Nobody can tell how long the wait is going to be.
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)
Text is from youtube video!
Madly bubbling and spectacularly bad smelling hot spring area near Krisuvik, about an hour’s drive South of Reykjavik in Iceland
Text is from Google Video!
Fúlipollur í Krísuvík – The name literally means foul puddle.
Text is from youtube video!
( video 2002, Iceland). The geothermal area Krýsuvík is situated on the Reykjanes peninsula in Iceland. It is in the south of Reykjanes in the middle of the fissure zone on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge which traverses Iceland diagonally from the south-west to the north-east of the island.
Krýsuvík is one of Iceland’s high temperature areas. This becomes visible through the sulphur springs and hot springs at Seltún and another similar area nearby.
At Seltún, one finds by now some explanations to the phenomena to see, a wooden show path and hiking trails leading up the mountain Sveifluháls behind.
KrýsuvíkThe biggest lake in the area, Kleifarvatn, began to diminish after a big earthquake in 2000; 20% of its surface has since disappeared.
Some of the minor lakes show also the influence of volcanism, so for example Grænavatn with its luminous green colour.
In this area, there had been some farms till the 19th century. But they had to be given up. Only a small chapel, Krísuvíkurkirkja built in 1857, remains and can be visited.
There is currently no shortage of volcano news coming from Iceland at this moment. The newest volcano to make the news is the Krísuvík volcano. Small area of Krísuvík volcano have been inflating during the last few months with following micro-earthquakes swarms in the area where the inflation takes place. This process started last year (2009). But then the inflation was 30mm (3 centimeters). But last winter a process of deflation started and lasted until early spring this year (2010). But then it started to inflate again. I am assuming that the current levels of inflation is something similar to the inflation that was seen in the year 2009. The area in question is south-west of Kleifarvatn lake.
The inflation is currently taking place on the depth of 3 to 4 km according to geological scientists. This intrusion of magma is also having effects on geothermal features present in the area. But that makes new hot springs and makes current hot springs more active and warmer, it also changes them and often dramatically. It might also create new hot spring areas where no hot springs where before. This inflation process has been followed by a swarms of micro-earthquakes in the area where the inflation is taking place.
According to the news the Icelandic Met Office has alerted the Icelandic Civil Protection Authorities about the changes in this volcano. Two new GPS stations have also been installed in the area to monitor the inflation that is currently taking place. At current time scientists are not expecting a eruption in the area any time soon. But as history has shown that can change without warning and quickly. The authorities and IMO have increased there surveillance in the area due to this inflation. If a eruption takes place the type is going to be a Hawaiian type of eruption, unless a fissure opens up under water or in the ocean. Last eruption that took place in Krísuvík volcano was in the year 1340.
Icelandic news, in Icelandic. Please use Google Translate (at your own risk)
Grannt fylgst með landrisi við Krýsuvík (Vísir.is)
Telja eldgos ekki í uppsiglingu en ástæða að vakta svæðið vel (Víkurfréttir)
Channel 2 news video (flash) about this activity. In Icelandic.
Updated at 23:52 UTC on the 30th of November 2010. News video added and name error fixed.