Month: June 2013

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More frequent earthquake swarms expected in Tjörnes Fracture Zone

According to a news on Rúv.is, there is now a risk of more frequent earthquake swarms in Tjörnes Fracture Zone. This is due to the tension that has been building up in Tjörnes Fracture Zone for the past 200 years, with the last large earthquake taking place 37 years ago (Kópasker magnitude 6.5 earthquake in January 1976). This short and small earthquake swarms in TFZ are not going to release the tension that has been building up there for the past 200 years (in some areas), for that too happen. It takes one or more earthquakes that are stronger than magnitude 6.0 to take place before tension starts to drop in the Tjörnes Fracture Zone.

Icelandic news about this

Útlit fyrir tíða skjálfta fyrir norðan (Rúv.is)

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Increased monitoring for volcanoes in Vatnajökull glacier

I did see a short news about increased monitoring for volcanoes (you have zoom in manually, the new web page is a mess and not highly useful as such in my view) in Vatnajökull glacier.

Two new seismometer have been added to the SIL network in Vatnajökull glacier. Making detection of activity in Öræfajökull, Grímsfjall, Bárðarbunga, Esjufjöll and other volcanoes easier and more sensitive. It is going to be interesting to see what this information this new seismometer bring to light when it comes to activity in Vatnajökull glacier volcanoes.

Icelandic news about this

Vatnajökull undir nánara eftirliti en áður (Vísir.is)

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Risk of landslides in north and east Iceland at the moment

It is worth pointing out that Icelandic Meteorological Office has put out a warning for landslides in north and east Iceland due to spring melt water and heavy rain on top of that.

There have already many landslides taken place in north and east Iceland, many of the blocking roads and damaging them in the worst cases. Along with creating damage to power lines in few rare cases. Any travelers in north and east Iceland should at least keep a eye out for landslide risk if they are going up in Iceland. Due to heavy snow highland roads are still closed, please see Iceland Road administration road conditions web page for more details, it is in Icelandic and can be viewed here.

There is also a considerable risk of ice-dam formation in Iceland at the moment, when it breaks a flood follows and those floods can be dangerous to both people and animals.

For pictures and videos of the landslides, please see the Rúv news coverage below. It is in Icelandic.

Aukið rennsli sést utan úr geimi (Satellite pictures)
Vatnavextir valda tjóni (Pictures)
Enn falla skriður á Norðurlandi (Pictures)
Lokað um Köldukinn fram yfir helgi (pictures and a video, road closed news)
Enn talin hætta á skriðuföllum í Köldukinn (Picture, risk of more landslides)
250 metra aurskriða tók veginn í sundur (picture, video of a large landslide)
Þjóðvegur 85 lokaður (road 85 closed, picture)
Stórt krapaflóð í Fljótsdal (flood due to ice-dam, video, pictures)

Blog post updated at 22:12 UTC on 05-June-2013.

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Interesting earthquake swarm south of Grímsfjall volcano

Interesting earthquake activity took place in Vatnajökull glacier today (03.06.2013). This earthquake activity took place just south of Grímsfjall volcano, that last erupted in the year 2011.

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The earthquake activity south of Grímsfjall volcano. Copyright of this image belongs to Icelandic Meteorological Office.

This earthquake activity is interesting, since it started after the eruption in Grímsfjall volcano at that area. It has been suggested that this activity is due to stress changes in this are, following the eruption in Grímsfjall volcano in the year 2011.

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Earthquake activity in the same area in week 21 in the year 2011. Copyright of this image belongs to Icelandic Meteorological Office.

I am not sure what is going on in this area, no volcano is known, or volcano fissure is known in this area. But that might well just be because this area is covered with a thick glacier. What makes this also interesting is the fact this area has been having earthquake activity since the year 2011 and there doesn’t seems to be any end in sight. This is clearly something worth keeping a eye out for, even if nothing happens in this area for a long time.