Bárðarbunga – Page 16 – Iceland geology

December 26, 2015December 27, 2015

Fresh earthquake activity in Bárðarbunga volcano

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Last night (26-December-2015) two magnitude 3,3 earthquakes took place in Bárðarbunga volcano. This earthquake activity was followed by a change in activity on 2 – 4Hz band, I’m not sure why that is, it might signal a inflow of magma at depth into shallow parts of the crust. This is however only guess on my part, this change in signal and it’s origin.

The change in the SIL station can be seen between 25 and 26-December-2015 on the blue line. Copyright of this image belongs to Iceland Met Office.

It is my view that the risk of eruption in Bárðarbunga volcano is increasing fast and Bárðarbunga volcano might erupt without warning at any time. Iceland Met Office holds a different view and that is there is no major risk of eruption in Bárðarbunga volcano at the moment, even if magma continues to flow into Bárðarbunga volcano.

The earthquake activity in Bárðarbunga volcano. Copyright of this image belongs to Iceland Met Office.

The magnitude 3,3 earthquake in north-east part of Bárðarbunga volcano caldera had the depth of 0,1 km. The magnitude 3,3 earthquake in south-east part of the caldera had the depth of 2,5 km. At 08:20 UTC this morning a magnitude 1,0 took place in Bárðarbunga volcano, that earthquake had the dept of 20,3 km and that suggest the magma inflow might be more than current ideas and models suggest (this earthquake is on the edge of the volcano, not far from Tungnafellsjökull volcano). I don’t know what is going to happen next in Bárðarbunga volcano. Since nobody knows for sure what is going to happen next in Bárðarbunga volcano.

Update 1

The earthquake activity in Bárðarbunga volcano has now created a half-circle of earthquakes in the caldera. Over the past 24 hours there has been slight increase in activity in Bárðarbunga volcano after the magnitude 3,3 earthquakes. There has also been some odd harmonic tremor spikes around Bárðarbunga volcano, the problem is that at the moment there is bad weather taking place at this location in Vatnajökull glacier area. So this might just be wind. I have to wait until the weather gets better in order to see if anything changes.

The earthquake activity in Bárðarbunga volcano at 27-December-2015. Copyright of this image belongs to Iceland Met Office.

I don’t know if any more activity is going to take place. This might die down, it is difficult to be sure about what happens next.

Article updated on 27-December-2015 at 17:56 UTC.

December 20, 2015December 20, 2015

Earthquake activity in Bárðarbunga volcano

Last night (20-December-2015) a earthquake activity took place in Bárðarbunga volcano. Largest earthquake in this short earthquake swarm had the magnitude of 3,5 and the second largest earthquake had the magnitude of 3,1. This earthquake activity is shallow and above above 10 km depth and it appears to be result of magma activity in north-eastern part of Bárðarbunga volcano caldera. The earthquakes that took place appear to be long period volcano earthquakes (details can be found here, under b-type earthquake).

Earthquake activity in Bárðarbunga volcano. Copyright of this image belongs to Iceland Met Office.

There clearly is something going on in Bárðarbunga volcano, it is already known that inflation is taking place in Bárðarbunga volcano after the eruption in Holuhraun ended in February-2015. Along with increase in dyke intrusions this clearly suggest that magma pressure is increasing inside Bárðarbunga volcano. What worries me is not the risk of large eruption in Bárðarbunga volcano. The risk in my view is at the moment risk of small eruption taking place, if a small eruption takes place under a glacier it is going to mean glacier flood. Size depends on the eruption size, duration and other factors. Currently there are no signs of imminent eruption, but that might change without warning. The north-eastern part of the Bárðarbunga volcano caldera is in my view weakened structure due to all the earthquake activity for the past 15 (about) months.

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December 16, 2015

Minor dyke intrusion in Bárðarbunga volcano

From 20:10 to 20:14 UTC a minor dyke intrusion took place in Bárðarbunga volcano. This dyke intrusion was small, only lasting those few moments and the largest earthquake had the magnitude of 2,5. Other earthquakes are smaller. Depth was from 15,6 km to 23,2 km. Based on the location, this is clearly a dyke intrusion into Bárðarbunga volcano. It is too small to start an eruption, but suggest that magma processes in Bárðarbunga volcano are starting to increase again.

The dyke intrusion in Bárðarbunga volcano. Copyright of this image belongs to Iceland Met Office.

There is also a change in the SIL station Vonarskarð. What is creating remains unknown. This might be a change in hydrothermal systems under the glacier, but is impossible to know for sure at this point in time. Copyright of this image belongs to Iceland Met Office.

I don’t know if any more earthquake activity is going to take place in Bárðarbunga volcano. Since it is impossible to know what magma does next inside a volcano. At the moment I’m not expecting a eruption in Bárðarbunga volcano.

November 19, 2015

Inflation confirmed at Bárðarbunga volcano

Iceland Met Office confirmed today that inflation has started in Bárðarbunga volcano. According to images released by Iceland Met Office this inflation is not huge at the moment, that might change without warning if magma starts flowing into Bárðarbunga volcano magma chamber at faster rate then it currently is doing.

Inflation as recorded by Iceland Met Office. This recording has been corrected for normal tectonic drift, glacier movements and dyke intrusion from Holuhraun eruption. Copyright of this image belongs to Iceland Met Office.

The inflation as it appears on GPS station on Bárðarbunga volcano. It has been corrected in the same was image above. Arrow show much the inflation is on each GPS station and the direction it is moving. Copyright of this image belongs to Iceland Met Office.

The problem here is that Bárðarbunga volcano continues to settle into new form after the eruption in Holuhraun, since there was a quiet magma chamber collapse during that eruption. The question remains how much strain the caldera can now take after the collapse and other unknown factor is that it is not known how much magma is needed before an new eruption can start or how long time this process takes. For the moment the only thing that can be done is to continue monitor what is going on in Bárðarbunga volcano.

November 17, 2015November 17, 2015

Fresh earthquake activity in Bárðarbunga volcano

At 12:39 UTC (16-November-2015) a magnitude 3,2 earthquake took place in Bárðarbunga volcano. The depth of this earthquake was only 0,5 km so it was not created by magma movement, rather stress changes in the crust. This earthquake took place in south-east part of the caldera.

The magnitude 3,2 earthquake in Bárðarbunga volcano on 16-November-2015. Copyright of this image belongs to Iceland Met Office.

There seems to be an minor increase in earthquake activity in Bárðarbunga volcano, this was mentioned in news today in Iceland about this earthquake. Iceland Met Office is keeping a watch for any changes that might be taking place in Bárðarbunga volcano and nearby area. Earthquake activity doesn’t appear to be quieting down even if the eruption in Holuhraun is over.

November 15, 2015November 15, 2015

Deep earthquakes close to Trölladyngja (Bárðarbunga volcano)

During the night of 15-November-2015 a swarm of deep earthquakes took place not far from Trölladyngja. The thing about Trölladyngja is directly connected to Bárðarbunga volcano and its eruption cycles. Trölladyngja it self was formed in a eruption in the year 5000 BCE, according to historical overview from Global Volcanism Program. According to some sources, Trölladyngja is a shield volcano, I don’t know if that is exactly correct. Regardless of what type of volcano Trölladyngja is, there is clearly something going on in it. Since this is not the first time I see earthquake swarm at this depth at this location. I doubt that this are stress related changes in the crust due the collapse of Bárðarbunga volcano caldera.

The earthquake activity in Trölladyngja (red dot). Image is from 05:50 UTC. Copyright of this image belongs to Iceland Met Office.

All of the earthquakes taking place were small, the largest had the magnitude of 1,1 and the depth was from 18 – 15 km.

In the early days of the earthquake swarm that started in Bárðarbunga in August-2014 a dyke intrusion pushed into this direction and than it just stopped as it lost the energy, or hit a obstacle that it was unable to break trough.

Image from August-2014. The earthquake activity close to Trölladyngja is clear on this image. Copyright of this image belongs to Iceland Met Office.

I don’t know yet what the chances are for an eruption at this location. More earthquake swarm activity is needed until the magma that is clearly down there breaks up. However the rifting that is taking place in this location might speed things up by unknown factor. This rifting might and possibly is allowing more magma entering this area deep underground without any earthquake activity. It is difficult to know what is going on at this location, so a lot of this is a speculation on what might happen. What actually happens in the end is a whole different thing and only time is going to tell us what happens next.

November 14, 2015November 14, 2015

Earthquake activity in Bárðarbunga volcano

I’m sorry for lack of articles. It has been quiet in Iceland for the past few weeks and I needed some time off after the work I’ve been in. I’ve also been dealing with a tax problem in Denmark, that issue is on-going for me (sadly) and might delay my move back to Denmark, how much I do not know yet.

Earthquake activity continues in Bárðarbunga volcano continues, this are mostly minor earthquakes that are taking place. Most of the earthquake activity is taking place on the north-east part of Bárðarbunga volcano caldera. According to Iceland Met Office this is due to continued subsidence of the volcano at that location. It is my view that Iceland Met Office estimate is correct, with just one exception. It is my view that magma pressure inside Bárðarbunga volcano is increasing, based on latest data, the pressure increase might be happen at more depth than I first estimated.

Earthquake activity in Bárðarbunga volcano. Copyright of this image belongs to Iceland Met Office.

I’m also seeing cases of increased hydrothermal activity south of Bárðarbunga volcano, in Hamarinn volcano. This was best seen in the larger size of Skaftárkatlar cauldron. This change in size suggests higher output of hydrothermal activity and it might be connected to higher magma activity at depth in this volcano. It is difficult to be sure since the area is covered with a glacier, but it is a well known sign impending eruption in many cases. There are few cases when there is a increase in hydrothermal activity without an eruption taking place. It is impossible to know when anything might happen in Hamarinn volcano, if anything happens at all to start with. Last minor eruption that took place in Hamarinn volcano (in my view) was in July-2011, it lasted around 8 hours with breaks.

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Twich and Youtube

I’m currently testing my game stream on Twich here. My Youtube stream tests can be found here. This Youtube channel is a work in progress. I have a other YouTube channel (can be viewed here), it however mostly just contains nature video. Since I’m on slow 3G internet connect at the moment I won’t do a lot of streaming, just basic tests in order to learn how to properly due this. I won’t run many more tests with Youtube than I already have, it seems to work rather well as is.

Article update at 23:29 UTC. I changed the YouTube channel for streams. I’m going to use a other channel on YouTube with the same name as my Twitch channel. The name is Channel 99 on Twitch and YouTube.

November 4, 2015November 4, 2015

Earthquake swarm in Bárðarbunga volcano

Today (4-November-2015) a earthquake swarm took place in Bárðarbunga volcano. This is now almost a weekly feature in the Bárðarbunga volcano system. This is suggesting that magma pressure inside Bárðarbunga volcano is currently increasing at rather fast phase. If and when this might start a new eruption is impossible to know. Largest earthquake in this swarm had the magnitude of 3,1.

Earthquake activity in Bárðarbunga volcano. Copyright of this image belongs to Iceland Met Office.

I’m expecting this earthquake activity to continue for some time now. At least until a new eruption occurs in Bárðarbunga volcano, since the rifting process that started all this has not ended and this is going to last few more years.

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Article updated at 23:14 UTC.

November 2, 2015

Overview of week 44 activity in Iceland

This is a short overview of activity in week 44 in Iceland.

Tjörnes Fracture Zone (TFZ)

Earthquake swarm took place in TFZ in week 44. Largest earthquake had the magnitude of 3,5 and other earthquakes had the magnitude of 3,1. Other earthquakes where smaller in magnitude.

Earthquake swarm on the TFZ. Largest earthquake swarm took place where the green stars are. Copyright of this image belongs to Iceland Met Office.

A second smaller earthquake swarm took place south of Grímsey. It is not connected to the stronger earthquake swarm east of Grímsey island.

Bárðarbunga volcano

A magnitude 3,0 earthquake took place in Bárðarbunga volcano. This suggests increased pressure inside Bárðarbunga volcano. I forgot to save image of last week activity in Bárðarbunga volcano.

Tungnafellsjökull volcano

Earthquake activity continues in Tungnafellsjökull volcano. As before all of the earthquakes taking place are small in magnitude. At the moment the earthquake swarm activity appears to be centered around the top of the volcano, one of the main craters. Earthquake activity is steady in Tungafellsjökull volcano at the moment. It sometimes drop down, as is to be expected when magma moves inside volcano.

Earthquake activity in Tungnafellsjökull volcano. Copyright of this image belongs to Iceland Met Office.

Skaftárkatlar cauldrons in Vatnajökull glacier

Recent survey of Skaftárkatlar cauldrons in Vatnajökull glacier has shown that the eastern cauldron has grown considerable in size. This is now thought to be the main reason why the glacier flood from eastern skaftárkatlar cauldron was the largest in recorded history. The cauldron is now 2,5 sq/km in size and 150 meters deep. Video of the overflight can be found here (Facebook). Measurements and other details can be found here at University of Iceland Earth science website (Icelandic). This are early results from recent survey.

Other things

Please remember to support my work with donations or by using Amazon. Due to problems with the Danish tax authorities I did not get my social welfare paid out this month in Iceland. Reason being that I have not got my copy of the tax statement for the year 2014, that I have . I hope this is resolved in November as has been promised to me. This however means that I have to use the salary for last months work to survive this month, money that I was saving in order to pay for moving cost when I move back to Denmark. If this is not resolved by December, I have to go on emergency income from my municipality. I won’t move to Denmark until this issue with the Danish tax is resolved. The temporary work that I was in is over so I’m going to be updating now when things happen in Iceland or close to it.

Once I’m back in Denmark I can start uploading detailed images of earthquakes and keep a real time watch about what is going on in Iceland. Its difficult for me to do that at the moment.

October 23, 2015

Rare earthquakes in Hreppar micro-plate and other activity in Iceland

Due to family obligations I won’t be able to write a long post until Sunday (I hope). So here is a short overview of activity.

Hreppar micro-plate

A rare swarm of earthquakes took place on the Hreppar micro-plate today. All of the earthquakes had less magnitude than 1,0.

Hreppar micro-plate earthquake activity on its edge with the American plate. Copyright of this image belongs to Iceland Met Office.

South Icelandic Seismic Zone

A swarm of earthquakes took place in SISZ this week. Largest earthquake had the magnitude of 2,5 and was felt in nearby populated areas.

Earthquake swarm on SISZ. Copyright of this image belongs to Iceland Met Office.

Bárðarbunga volcano

Last week a magnitude 3,2 earthquake took place in Bárðarbunga volcano. This don’t appear to be deflation earthquakes, they rather look like inflation earthquakes. I don’t have time to write about it now, so details have to wait for now.

The magnitude 3,2 earthquake in Bárðarbunga volcano. Copyright of this image belongs to Iceland Met Office.

I hope to write more on Sunday if I have time.

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