Volcano and earthquake activity in Iceland
Here is a picture of Eyjafjallajökull volcano that I took in December 2012. This is not a good picture. But that is mostly down to bad weather and strong wind at the time.
Click on the image for full size. This image is released under Creative Commons licence. Please see the CC Licence page for more details on this licence.
Here is a video that I took from this same area. It shows how bad the weather was.
When there is nothing going on in Iceland. It is good to prepare for the future by checking out what has happened in the past. Here is a comparison of harmonic tremor data from few past eruptions. I only have limited set of data to work with here.
Grímsfjall volcano eruptions 2004 and 2011
Harmonic tremor indicates how strong the eruption is when it is happening. This is clearly visible on the harmonic tremor plots from the Grímsfjall volcano eruptions in the year 2004 and compared to the eruption in Grímsfjall volcano eruption in the year 2011.
Harmonic tremor in Grímsfjall volcano eruption in the year 2004. Copyright of this image belongs to Icelandic Meteorological Office.
This harmonic tremor plot is from the early start of the eruption. It clearly shows when the eruption starts and how it progressed during it’s first few hours.
Here is the volcano eruption start in Grímsfjall volcano on 23. May 2011. This is the start of the eruption. It clearly shows the difference from the eruption that took place in the year 2004. Both is that starts sharper. But is also a lot more powerful then the eruption in the year 2004. Copyright of this image belongs to Icelandic Meteorological Office.
Eyjafjallajökull volcano and Katla volcano
Sometimes it is useful to compare two eruptions of two different volcanoes. This is useful when you really don’t have anything else to compare with.
Harmonic tremor in Eyjafjallajökull volcano eruption back in the year 2010. This is from the second phase of the eruption. But I seems to have misplaced or not saved harmonic tremor data from the first phase of the eruption (at least I cannot find them for the moment). Copyright of this image belongs to Icelandic Meteorological Office.
Harmonic tremor connected to a minor eruption in Katla volcano in July 2011. This eruption was minor. But created a flood that took out a bridge. Copyright of this image belongs to Icelandic Meteorological Office.
Diffrent SIL stations from the same minor eruption in Katla volcano in July 2011. This clearly shows that this minor eruption in Katla volcano was possibly larger then eruption in Eyjafjallajökull volcano year earlier (2010). But it did not manage to break the ice of Mýrdalsjökull glacier. Copyright of this image belongs to Icelandic Meteorological Office.
Past data show and are useful to learn what happens in a volcano. For this reason I now save important information on what is happening in a volcano. So I can compare it with future activity when it takes place.
Here is a picture of a typical geophone station that I run in Iceland. This is the computer and other needed hardware on the Böðvarshólar geophone station that I am running. This hardware used to be the Hvammstangi geophone station until December 2012 when I had to move it.
Click on the image for full size. This image is released under Creative Commons licence. Please see the CC licence page for more details.
What is not shown in this picture is the geophone it self. But it is in the white box on the table. The readings from all my geophone stations can be found here.
As always this months. I am broke after paying all my bills. I have explained this before. So I don’t see any reason to do so again. But what I can add is that I am working hard to fix this (with the help from my bank as can be helped. But this is a long standing problem at the moment and my bank has limits). But this progress is far from easy and I am doing my best in this regards.
The case now however is that I have no way to reach my budget ends together this month. In fact. I am not sure even how I am going to buy food this month. I am being serious on that.
Thanks for the support! 🙂
Update 1: Thanks to donations I won’t starve this month as I was afraid of. But this is not the greatest food budget ever either. But I hope that it is going to last all of January or close to it. I am close to Germany (It is just a bus trip to Flensburg). So I can go there and buy food more cheaper then in Denmark.
Update 2: I have made this blog post a sticky on the front page. So it won’t go down when I post new blog post. This blog post is going to be a sticky until end of January.
Update 3: I got a complaint about this blog post today. I wrote blog post about it. I called it, Why don’t you just get a job?
Update 4: I got a comment today (link to comment in the blog post). My view did turn into a blog post that I did call, Writing is a job and it is not easy doing it
Update 5: January 2013 was bad for me in terms of bills. But February 2013 is going to be terrible. In short. The amount of bills that I have to pay is higher then my total income during the month. Yea, this is how is to be poor. I am looking into taking a loan here in Denmark to cover my monthly cost this time. Since loans in Denmark are more stable in terms of interest rates and payments then in Iceland (interest rates go up in Iceland and is a lot higher then in Denmark).
Update 6: I might even have to start searching for a job. Even if that is going to cut into my writing time on this blog. I just might not have any other option right now.
Update 7: The Oatmeal tells about it what it is to create continent for the internet. But that is exactly what I am doing here and on my other blogs.
As for Icelandic geology. It is all so quiet at the moment. Nothing to report at the moment.
Blog post updated at 15:03 UTC on 10. January 2013.
Blog post updated at 15:14 UTC on 12. January 2013.
Blog post updated at 21:34 UTC on 19. January 2013.
Blog post updated at 21:50 UTC on 23. January 2013.
Blog post updated at 15:59 UTC on 25. January 2013.
Blog post updated at 16:07 UTC on 25. January 2013.
Blog post updated at 02:17 UTC on 27. January 2013.
Blog post updated at 02:33 UTC on 27. January 2013.
I wish everyone a happy new year 2013.
Earthquakes explained in a simple manner. Based on San Andreas fault setting.
I wish everyone a merry Christmas. I hope that everyone enjoy and have good Christmas season.
At 02:55 UTC today (18.12.2012) there was a magnitude 3.3 earthquake in Bárðarbunga volcano system. Earthquakes are common in this area so this activity is no surprise. Origins of this earthquakes are due to tectonic movements in the area. Not magma related changes.
Green star marks the magnitude 3.3 earthquake in Bárðarbunga volcano system. Copyright of this image belongs to Icelandic Meteorological Office.
Aftershocks have followed this earthquake. So far the largest one got the magnitude 2.2. More earthquake activity can be expected in this area. But that is normal and not unexpected.
Yesterday (14.12.2012) from 20:50 UTC until 22:52 UTC there was an minor earthquake swarm in Katla volcano caldera. The largest earthquake in this swarm was a magnitude 2,2 earthquake. With the depth of 0,1 km. So it was a shallow earthquake. This is not uncommon for this part of Katla volcano. This earthquake activity has its origin in hydrothermal activity or changes in hydrothermal systems in this area of Katla volcano caldera.
Earthquake swarm in Katla volcano. This area has had earthquakes swarms before. Copyright of this image belongs to Icelandic Meteorological Office.
I do not expect anything special to result from this earthquake swarm. Since it is highly unlikely that Katla volcano is going to erupt in December. It is also a when it comes to earthquakes. Katla volcano has a lot of them during the year and earthquake swarm as this one should be expected to happen every once in a while.
Blog post updated at 10:42 UTC on 15.12.2012.
During the night (on 15.12.2012) there was a swarm of earthquakes far north of Kolbeinsey Island. The distance from Kolbeinsey Island is about 100 to 200 km. What exactly is taking place at this location is impossible to know for now. Since this is far from Iceland and the SIL network. Last eruption is believed to have taken place around this area back in the year 1999, or at least there was an large dike intrusion at that time. What did happen exactly is not known.
The earthquake activity north of Kolbeinsey Island at midnight (00:00 UTC) 15.12.2012. Copyright of this image belongs to Icelandic Meteorological Office.
Earthquake activity at 09:00 UTC this morning (15.12.2012). More earthquakes have taken place since midnight. Copyright of this image belongs to Icelandic Meteorological Office.
There is a chance of more earthquakes in this area. It can also be expected that not all earthquake activity in this area is being detected by the SIL network. Due to distance, weather and ocean activity.