Posted on by Jón Frímann

Update on the eruption in Geldingadalir valley (former) on 2-April-2021

This is a short update of the activity in the eruption in Geldingadalir valley (former, as the valley has now filled up with lava or close to being filled with lava). The eruption is taking place in Krýsuvík-Trölladyngja volcano system. The eruption has been stable  all week. On Sunday 28-March-2021 other side of the craters that had built up collapsed into the lava stream that has formed below the erupting craters. Both craters are now about equal erupting size.

  • The lava that is now erupting is primitive Tholeiitic magma  based on the chemical analyse from University of Iceland. That report can be found here (pdf).
  • Both  craters are unstable and often suffer a collapse and rock slides and that often changes their look suddenly and drastically in a moment.
  • Icelanders continue to act like idiots in front of the web cameras that show the eruption online (I think all of them). The Rúv web camera is a large structure there that is easy to avoid (with solar panels and everything).
  • Lava boiling is a common occurrence that often breaks up through the newly formed crust in the new lava field. This happens without warning and often reshapes the lava field in a instance.
  • Spatter activity in the eruption craters often drops but the flow of lava seems to be stable based on the web cameras and observation reported in the news by volcano scientists according to the latest news I was able to find.
  • It is unclear when lava is going to start flowing out of Geldingadalir valley (former). It might start to happen this weekend or by next week.
  • Based on what I am observing on the web cameras at the writing of this article. A collapse might happen in the erupting crater on the right side on the screen (I don’t know what is north and south on the web camera). When that or if that happens is impossible to know, but the whole structure that I am seeing doesn’t look that stable when I write this article.
  • At the writing of this article a large collapse took place in the erupting crater on the left side on the camera. Resulting in block of the erupting vent and resulting in a lot of spatter activity as a result as it clears it self of the rock that fell into it.

Currently there are no signs of this eruption about to end. This eruption might go on for a long time. Next update about the eruption in Geldingadalir valley (former) should be on 9-April-2021 unless something major happens in the eruption.

Update 14:12 UTC on 3-April-2021

Two craters erupting. On the left side of the screen the crater there is showing splatter pattern while the one of the right side of the screen shows less spatter activity but small lava fall from the main eruption crater.
The eruption craters at 13:56 UTC on 3-April-2021. Copyright of this image belongs to Rúv. From Rúv YouTube stream of the eruption.

There is now in the northern crater (right side on screen?) a small lava fall. Its not big but it is few meters high. There are variations in spatter activity and the whole crater structure remains unstable. There are many collapses and changes now over one day.

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Article updated at 14:12 UTC on 3-April-2021

6 Replies to “Update on the eruption in Geldingadalir valley (former) on 2-April-2021”

  1. Thanks Jon , I agree about the idiots it has been happening at the site in some very strange times. I have been up at 3 am pst and watched some very weird dances , strange looking faces sticking tongues out at the camera and other acts that make me wonder. I have noticed the last day or so to the left of the ruv camera there is an orange glow on the hillside behind the eruption is that some kind of new vent over there? When they do the remote views of the the eruption they do some great close shots of the two vents , the glow appears best when they are zooming in on the left vent. It looks to me like the spattering of magma is increasing in the left vent while I have noticed the right vent is slightly less now , is that because of the buildup of the ejecta from that vent?

  2. ps I have been taking some video of the ruv coverage on my phone. Wish I had thought of that When Bardy went off.

  3. Thank you for your updates. Is it possible to know the height of the right crater? With no frame of reference it’s impossible to tell the height or the depth of the lava field. We have watched this eruption from the beginning. Thanks again.

    1. Highest it got close to 100 meters high. It has collapsed a little since then and I am not sure on the exact height at the moment as it is always changing.

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