Since 20-January-2014 there has been increase in conductivity in Skeiðará glacier river that comes from Vatnajökull glacier. The reason for this change is that water is leaking from Grímsfjall volcano. Water levels have also been increasing and dropping during this time since this started.
The conductivity in Skeiðará glacier river from 20-January-2014. Picture from Icelandic Meteorological Office Facebook page. Copyright of this image belongs to Icelandic Meteorological Office.
Conductivity is now measured at 416 µS/cm and according to Icelandic Meteorological Office that is an high value coming from Grímsfjall volcano. This water also goes trough several lakes and before it reaches the sensor at Gígjukvísl bride. So at the source of Skeiðará glacier river this value is probably even higher. No major earthquake activity and no harmonic tremor activity has taken place following this water leak from Grímsvötnum glacier lakes. But it appears that some glacier quakes might be taking place at the moment. Such activity can be seen here on IMO website. Currently the volume of water in Grímsvötn glacier lakes is small since the eruption that took place in Grímsfjall volcano in the year 2011. Coverage of that eruption can be found here. At current time nothing more is expected to happen.
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Excellent report. There has been some speculation that the shaft holding water “inside the bowl” of Grímvötn broke down at least in part in the eruption from Gjálp in 2006 if my recollection is right. That would explain lesser amount of water to start a flood and shorter time between them from the Grímsvötn lake.
The eruption in Gjálp was in the year 1996. You can see the earthquake pattern here on IMO website.
http://hraun.vedur.is/ja/viku/1996/vika_40/index.html#mark
The glacier that holds the water in Grímsvötn glacier lake might have been permanently or at least long term damaged by that eruption excessive water that flooded into Grímsvötn glacier lake back in the year 1996. I don’t know if there has been any more research into the status of that part of the glacier (or if it’s even possible to research it).
Eruptions in Grímsfjall volcano after the year 1996 also might have created more damage, but that is just speculation on my part.
More information on the Gjálp eruption can be found here, http://earthice.hi.is/gjalp_eruption_vatnajokull_309_1310_1996
Also worth the notice, is the minor earthquake swarm taking place at Katla today, with at least 2 quakes still not plotted at current time, based on the “spikes” from different stations. One quake on the caldera edge, was actually 22km deep.