Yesterday (16-June-2015) a small glacier flood started in Skaftárkatlar cauldrons in Vatnajökull glacier. The glacier flood can go up to 900m³/sec at its largest. The main risk from this glacier flood are the gases released into the air once the glacier water gets into the river, it is the advised that people stay away from the glacier rivers called Skaftá, it is also advised that people stay away from the edges of the glaciers named Skaftárjökull glacier, Tungárjökuls and Síðujökuls. It is unclear how big this glacier flood is going to be and from what cauldron is emptying, there is a good chance the cauldron that is emptying is the western one, since the eastern one empted last year and does not hold a lot of water at the moment.
Following this type of glacier flood a peak of harmonic tremor is detected from the cauldron that is emptying, it is thought that this is due to the hydrothermal vents (hot springs) that power those cauldrons start to boil when the pressure is released. There is a small chance eruption taking place in this area due to glacier flood when the pressure of the water is released, this is a chance, but it remains a small one.
Icelandic news
Skaftárhlaup líklega hafið (Rúv.is, Icelandic, Map)
Lítið Skaftárhlaup líklega hafið (Mbl.is, Icelandic)
Skaftárhlaup mjög líklega hafið (Vísir.is, Icelandic, image)
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Article updated at 21:52 UTC.
Jon –
Vatnajokull… Grimsvotn, Bardarbunga – yes?
Not Eyjafjalljokull or Katla?
(BTW, it is so difficult to type most Icelandic names in English! 🙂 The only thing more difficult is pronouncing them without TOTALLY butchering them. HA!)
http://www.ruv.is/frett/vedurstofan-kom-af-stad-hlaupi-i-skafta
“Running in the river, which began June 17, appears to have been unexpected accompaniment drilling IMO and US scientists in the western Skaftáreldar Kettle. ”
(Google Transl.)
Is all the smoke/steam that can be seen now on the Holuhraun webcams normal? I haven’t really seen it like this since the end of the eruption. The Mila cam is zoomed in on it right now.
Your right, i think there is a change in the area, but i don’t know what.
Hi. Wonder if this is melt or flood water hitting cooling lava? Certainly has grown in the last few hours. BTW nice to see holuhraun at night again in the almost 24 hour day light. Have taken numerous screen shots since last September…fantastic changes!