213 Replies to “Eruption has started on the fissure swarm”

  3. Ignoring the source of eruption is the activity in the main caldera just new magma being pushed into the system, or pressure build up some big EQ there in the last 8 hrs too.

      1. Agree, I think its taking a jaunt east a couple of kms and will resume course NW-erly thereafter. While Askja, being affected by the same crustal strain, will necessarily propagate it’s own fissure(s) and try to approximately ‘connect’ up with the initial fissure outbreak.

    1. Dirty ‘steam’ seems to be being emitted from Askja? Don’t know if I got the name correct, apologies if wrong.

      2. I don’t know. I looked at the map on the link you posted and am wondering if that ‘volcano’ behind the fissure activity is Askja?

      3. I see what you are getting at.

        maybe just fog in the valley?? Maybe someone with better knowledge might know.

  8. According to an expert on twitter this fissure eruption will probably stop a larger eruption. What’s your opinion on that Jon? thanks!

    1. This didn’t even make dent in the process that is now taking place. It is not known if an large eruption is going to take place or not. It is impossible to know that for sure.

    2. hogwash. Who is the “expert”? The only experts with a opinion that carries weight IMO are those that actively study volcano’s in Iceland at the PhD level. And I don’t think those people don’t say such things on twitter.

  9. I would like to register but am unsure if this is the place to do so and cant find an alternative link
    many thanks
    keith

    1. Go to the desktop view–the link to register is in the right hand column toward the bottom.

    3. Very cool. I wonder if that’s the same plane that was flying a number of passes visible on cam 2 this morning?

      1. Could be.

        Good stuff, but I’m not sure it was wise them going so close to the plume towards the end.

    1. Music: “….upside down – you turning me
      inside out and round and round…” 🙂

    3. Yay! This is great. Got three screens to watch. Are the seven little (hmmm) siblings beginning to spit things into the air? Or is it pixels on cam? Just wondered 🙂

  20. Hi Jon I find your report very interesting. Can you please give me a report on the status of the lava flow that. Was heading towards Askja,and do you think this will lead to something big due to all the seismic activity.

    1. That is so nice!!

      I would love to drive there but unfortunately I must respect the exclusion area and I have no special access inside.

      Though of driving all the way up Sprengisandur but probably I can’t see the eruption from there to the ridge north of Dyngjujokull blocking the view. Perhaps I will hike Tungnafellsjokull to see it. But not until Monday, because quite bad weather is on the way.

      Anyways, I think this is just the beginning of a long sequence of small to medium sized eruptions. The rifting continues through Askja and up to Herdubreid. I think we will see more happening in the next few days, unfortunately the weather is very unfavourable for travelling or webcams.

      What do you think Jón, about the rifting continuing past Askja.

      I though it would follow the fault line of 1875, but apparently it is following NE.

  22. Can anyone help me with watching a webcam? I can’t find anything on RUV website – the link to flt over is just an article with stillframes and no english ( fair enough – Icelandic is the worlds lingua franca 🙂 . the Mila link is just an upside down picture of blue sky and clouds! With some strange arrows that dont do anything. The youtube stream tells me ‘ not supported by this client’ whatever that means! I am using an android quote smart unquote phone. Thankyou wonderful smart people I delight in your collective enthusiasm ! XO ps whats a ‘ captcha’ ? IT jargon i guess..

    1. It looks like the webcams are down again. Mila needs to upgrade their servers 😉

      1. Perhaps the webcam will be back again…but they have also normal programm in the afternoon.

    4. Captacha is the thing you must fill with numbers or letter to post your comment…

  25. Have a look at the latest GSIG, not only is it racing SE, the vertical just took a huge drop.

    1. As far as I can tell there’s about 55 cm of displacement between DYNC and GSIG at this point. I estimate the measured crustal spreading is around 7.5 cm per day, so if there are the strain-relaxation effects from that small baseline, in another week the deformation effects will be awe-inspiring.

  27. Latest VAAC advisory

    FVXX01 EGRR 291100
    VA ADVISORY
    DTG: 20140829/1200Z
    VAAC: LONDON
    VOLCANO: BARDARBUNGA 373030
    PSN: N6453 W01650
    AREA: ICELAND
    SUMMIT ELEV: 2009M
    ADVISORY NR: 2014/003
    INFO SOURCE: ICELAND MET OFFICE
    AVIATION COLOUR CODE: ORANGE
    ERUPTION DETAILS: NO OBSERVATION OF VA IN THE ATMOSPHERE.
    OBS VA DTG: 29/1200Z
    OBS VA CLD: NO VA EXP
    FCST VA CLD +6HR: 29/1800Z NO VA EXP
    FCST VA CLD +12HR: 30/0000Z NO VA EXP
    FCST VA CLD +18HR: 30/0600Z NO VA EXP
    RMK: NO VA OBSERVED. OVERFLIGHT CONDUCTED AND NO LAVA WAS
    OBSERVED FLOWING FROM FISSURE N OF DYNGJUJOKULL. REPEAT
    NO VA OBSERVED. NO FURTHER ADVISORIES WILL BE ISSUED
    UNLESS CONDITIONS CHANGE.
    NXT ADVISORY: NO FURTHER ADVISORIES

  28. Something going on, far right at Mali 1. I’ve been watching for a couple of minutes now to be sure before saying anything. A lot of steam and/or smoke, lengthening rapidly.

    1. I always said that is just dust in the wind… but it could be dust in the wind after a new rupture will go off…it’s possible

  30. hi everyone

    the shaking of the cam 1 is it cause by earthquakes or the wind . I hope not a silly question . is it causing anyone sea sickness lol .

      2. The Mila cam is normally live, so there is no update. I think it’s wind. And warm air comimg up from sunwarmed ground. Also it’s a tele…

  31. Magnús Tumi Guðmundsson is saying this may just be a magma leak….what do you think? Also, what about these new earthquakes of 4.8 and 5.2 under Bardarbunga, which are pretty deep? Any idea how all that is working into the scenario?

    1. No expert here, but on one side you have a guy filling a swimming pool with a firehose, and this eruption is a guy with a teaspoon taking water out of the pool. Pretty and all, but a distraction from the real event, I think.

    2. There is a small amount of fresh magma of today’s photos. In context the magma rise has been going on for 14 days and the physical area and volume of crust involved is growing well above linear. The crustal divergence near Askja and north only began to be measurable on CGPS about 4 days ago. That all has a long way to go before it stops.

      Repeated mid 4 to mid 5s in a narrow fissure seems outlandishly strong. As I see it the only thing suppressing eruption is the rate of extension that keeps pressure lower than it otherwise would become. So the danger comes when that extension slows down again, but the magma production from sub crust decompression is inversely increasing. Recipe for lava flood.

      2. Have another look, some of them are in the fissure, I’ve seen a 4.2, a 4.6, and now a 5.2 in there.

      3. all the larger quakes today were on the north rim of the Barldarbunga Caldera and were deep. Don’t know what you are looking at…but here is a good site. Also IMO said same thing…not in the dyke/rift/fissure…they were at Bardarbunga.
        http://baering.github.io/

      4. Not talking about today, talking about the past 4 to five days, I did not imagine it, I checked each one at the times they occurred, and they were in the fissure swarm. it happened.

  37. Looks like the dike is going towards Herdubreid. Is it possible she will erupt again after such a lõng dormancy?

  40. I know “feelings” aren’t very scientific but my “gut feeling” is this is going to continue to grumble along underground for a time and then fizzle out.

  41. @BOB
    I would say this is just the very early warming up act(s) of the (long lasting) show, IMHO

    1. Yep I agree this may go on for a while, months perhaps, but I wouldn’t be getting my hopes up for anything spectacular, there just doesn’t seem to be any real energy in it. Not enough for an explosive eruption or spectacular lava curtains from a fissure. Looks to me like this will continue much as it has, largely undergroung with the occasional, fairly weak, surface expression.

      1. Try more like years. Iceland’s top scientist said, get prepared for the long haul. 2010 was the bellweather. This heightened activity is here for a while

  43. the orange and red alerts are for air traffic, as no ash is being emitted. It does not signify a reduction in risk for earthquakes or near term eruptions .You sorta get the feeling that everyone is in a new place and we are learning together

    1. Economically too, as even the alerts affect profitability when you have to take longer paths and carry more fuel reserves and maybe carry less fare paying people. Multiple RED alerts for years will hurt, and those cost will be passed on where they can be, to you and me.

  45. Considering the definite negative impact on Iceland, and the potential negative impact on the rest of the world, I’m not getting my hopes up for anything speculation either. But I’m still glued to the webcams.

  46. Judging from the behavior at this fissure, the magma that reached the surface is very runny basalt. That is not to say that other areas of the system have the same exact composition. Some areas might have magma with more silicon content. But this particular magma appears to be very low in silicon, very runny, and not likely to erupt explosively.

    1. Looked like low density froth from degassing, which fizzed so much that it reached all the way to an open or nearly open fissure, and popped its old cap rocks. The stuff is just low silica froth from a fresh hot magma.

  47. We all love to learn and to se a historic grological event. I think this is only the begining.

  48. Kevin bear in mind also divide your 4g/sec by five (typical bypass ratio) – it’s only the stuff going through the hot engine core that will stop an engine 😉

  49. Has anybody been able to see a webcam lately? Can you say where is so please?

  50. Aside from the pattern of large quakes in the Bárðarbunga caldera, is there evidence of continued dyke expansion towards Askja today?

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