Magma surge towards the surface would be very powerful By Kristján Már Unnarsson 20. ágúst 2014 14:58 Kristín Vogfjörð, seismologist and research director at the Icelandic Meteorological Office. The current situation at Bárðarbunga is many times more powerful than the one that led to the Gjálpar eruption in 1996. Several hundred earthquakes were detected back then, but today they're already in the thousands. Scientists interpret this as a massive magma movement that may quickly surge towards the surface. Kristín Vogfjörð, research director at the Icelandic Meteorological Office, says that the current seismic activity at Bárðarbunga is many times more powerful than any on record for the site. "It's very powerful," she says. For comparison she notes that thousands of quakes have been measured at Bárðarbunga in the past week, but in the Gjálpar eruption in 1996 they were only a few hundred. The activity is interpreted as magma moving up under the Bárðarbunga caldera, then moving into an underground chamber to the northeast, under the Dyngjujökull glacier. It's possible that the magma stops there and never reaches the surface. "That's a possibility - if the chamber can hold all the magma," says Kristín. She says that GPS readings suggest that the pressure is stable while the magma moves away from Bárðarbunga into this chamber. "While this is going on, it may never reach the surface. But we still need to keep an eye on it because the volume of magma is incredible," she adds. There are still no signs that the magma is heading for the surface. Kristín says that it's still at a depth of 5-10 kilometers. "There is no indication that it's moving further up than that. But if it were to happen, it would happen very quickly," Kristín states. News in English Tengdar fréttir Composed music from the Bárðarbunga quakes "All music is just data, in a way. You can interpret Beethoven's Fifth Symphony as data, which is just notes of variable pitches at variable times. In that way, earthquakes are no different." 20. ágúst 2014 14:52 Earthquake swarm by Bárðarbunga volcano At about 3 a.m. this morning (16 August), an earthquake swarm began by Bárðarbunga volcano in NW Vatnajökull ice cap. 16. ágúst 2014 10:00 Current situation not comparable to Eyjafjallajökull eruption Ongoing magma movement in Bárðarbunga for the past days have raised questions of possible flight disruptions between Iceland and Europe. 19. ágúst 2014 16:15 Bardarbunga earthquake reclassified as magnitude 4.5 Seismologists at the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) have reclassified the earthquake close to the Bardarbunga volcano last night. 18. ágúst 2014 22:49 Activity in Bárðarbunga volcano Over the last seven years seismic activity has been gradually increasing in Bardarbunga and the fissure swarm north of the volcano. 16. ágúst 2014 10:00 Magma flowing into Bárðarbunga caldera with great force All highland roads north of Vatnajökull glacier have been closed and all traffic banned, whether by vehicle or on foot. The Bárðarbunga situation is now attracting worldwide attention on a scale similar to the Eyjafjallajökull eruption in 2010. 20. ágúst 2014 14:41 2800 earthquakes in three days Of these around 950 have occured since midnight today. Several of these events were larger than magnitude 3. 19. ágúst 2014 00:17 "There is full reason to expect an eruption" The seismic activity in Bardarbunga on the Vatnajokull glacier is very powerful and therefore full reason to expect a volcanic eruption according to a specialist at The Icelandic Meteorological Office. A live webcam has been placed in the vicinity of Bardarbunga. 18. ágúst 2014 20:58 Mest lesið Vaktin: Forsetakosningar í Bandaríkjunum Erlent Kosningavaktin: Íslendingar ganga að kjörborðinu Innlent Flugslysið sem skók þjóðina og aldrei munu fást svör við Innlent Sakfelldur fyrir þátt í banaslysi en annar ökumaður aldrei fundist Innlent „Við erum ógeðslega sár fyrir hönd barnanna okkar“ Innlent Engar upplýsingar fást um tengsl konunnar við barnið Innlent Íslenskir Trumpistar fylgjast spenntir með skammt frá Trump sjálfum Innlent Keyrði utan vegar og hafnaði á öðrum bíl sem valt Innlent Gætum þurft að bíða í nokkra daga ef ekkert óvænt gerist Erlent „Ég var barnið sem vildi ekki taka í höndina á kennaranum sínum“ Innlent
The current situation at Bárðarbunga is many times more powerful than the one that led to the Gjálpar eruption in 1996. Several hundred earthquakes were detected back then, but today they're already in the thousands. Scientists interpret this as a massive magma movement that may quickly surge towards the surface. Kristín Vogfjörð, research director at the Icelandic Meteorological Office, says that the current seismic activity at Bárðarbunga is many times more powerful than any on record for the site. "It's very powerful," she says. For comparison she notes that thousands of quakes have been measured at Bárðarbunga in the past week, but in the Gjálpar eruption in 1996 they were only a few hundred. The activity is interpreted as magma moving up under the Bárðarbunga caldera, then moving into an underground chamber to the northeast, under the Dyngjujökull glacier. It's possible that the magma stops there and never reaches the surface. "That's a possibility - if the chamber can hold all the magma," says Kristín. She says that GPS readings suggest that the pressure is stable while the magma moves away from Bárðarbunga into this chamber. "While this is going on, it may never reach the surface. But we still need to keep an eye on it because the volume of magma is incredible," she adds. There are still no signs that the magma is heading for the surface. Kristín says that it's still at a depth of 5-10 kilometers. "There is no indication that it's moving further up than that. But if it were to happen, it would happen very quickly," Kristín states.
News in English Tengdar fréttir Composed music from the Bárðarbunga quakes "All music is just data, in a way. You can interpret Beethoven's Fifth Symphony as data, which is just notes of variable pitches at variable times. In that way, earthquakes are no different." 20. ágúst 2014 14:52 Earthquake swarm by Bárðarbunga volcano At about 3 a.m. this morning (16 August), an earthquake swarm began by Bárðarbunga volcano in NW Vatnajökull ice cap. 16. ágúst 2014 10:00 Current situation not comparable to Eyjafjallajökull eruption Ongoing magma movement in Bárðarbunga for the past days have raised questions of possible flight disruptions between Iceland and Europe. 19. ágúst 2014 16:15 Bardarbunga earthquake reclassified as magnitude 4.5 Seismologists at the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) have reclassified the earthquake close to the Bardarbunga volcano last night. 18. ágúst 2014 22:49 Activity in Bárðarbunga volcano Over the last seven years seismic activity has been gradually increasing in Bardarbunga and the fissure swarm north of the volcano. 16. ágúst 2014 10:00 Magma flowing into Bárðarbunga caldera with great force All highland roads north of Vatnajökull glacier have been closed and all traffic banned, whether by vehicle or on foot. The Bárðarbunga situation is now attracting worldwide attention on a scale similar to the Eyjafjallajökull eruption in 2010. 20. ágúst 2014 14:41 2800 earthquakes in three days Of these around 950 have occured since midnight today. Several of these events were larger than magnitude 3. 19. ágúst 2014 00:17 "There is full reason to expect an eruption" The seismic activity in Bardarbunga on the Vatnajokull glacier is very powerful and therefore full reason to expect a volcanic eruption according to a specialist at The Icelandic Meteorological Office. A live webcam has been placed in the vicinity of Bardarbunga. 18. ágúst 2014 20:58 Mest lesið Vaktin: Forsetakosningar í Bandaríkjunum Erlent Kosningavaktin: Íslendingar ganga að kjörborðinu Innlent Flugslysið sem skók þjóðina og aldrei munu fást svör við Innlent Sakfelldur fyrir þátt í banaslysi en annar ökumaður aldrei fundist Innlent „Við erum ógeðslega sár fyrir hönd barnanna okkar“ Innlent Engar upplýsingar fást um tengsl konunnar við barnið Innlent Íslenskir Trumpistar fylgjast spenntir með skammt frá Trump sjálfum Innlent Keyrði utan vegar og hafnaði á öðrum bíl sem valt Innlent Gætum þurft að bíða í nokkra daga ef ekkert óvænt gerist Erlent „Ég var barnið sem vildi ekki taka í höndina á kennaranum sínum“ Innlent
Composed music from the Bárðarbunga quakes "All music is just data, in a way. You can interpret Beethoven's Fifth Symphony as data, which is just notes of variable pitches at variable times. In that way, earthquakes are no different." 20. ágúst 2014 14:52
Earthquake swarm by Bárðarbunga volcano At about 3 a.m. this morning (16 August), an earthquake swarm began by Bárðarbunga volcano in NW Vatnajökull ice cap. 16. ágúst 2014 10:00
Current situation not comparable to Eyjafjallajökull eruption Ongoing magma movement in Bárðarbunga for the past days have raised questions of possible flight disruptions between Iceland and Europe. 19. ágúst 2014 16:15
Bardarbunga earthquake reclassified as magnitude 4.5 Seismologists at the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) have reclassified the earthquake close to the Bardarbunga volcano last night. 18. ágúst 2014 22:49
Activity in Bárðarbunga volcano Over the last seven years seismic activity has been gradually increasing in Bardarbunga and the fissure swarm north of the volcano. 16. ágúst 2014 10:00
Magma flowing into Bárðarbunga caldera with great force All highland roads north of Vatnajökull glacier have been closed and all traffic banned, whether by vehicle or on foot. The Bárðarbunga situation is now attracting worldwide attention on a scale similar to the Eyjafjallajökull eruption in 2010. 20. ágúst 2014 14:41
2800 earthquakes in three days Of these around 950 have occured since midnight today. Several of these events were larger than magnitude 3. 19. ágúst 2014 00:17
"There is full reason to expect an eruption" The seismic activity in Bardarbunga on the Vatnajokull glacier is very powerful and therefore full reason to expect a volcanic eruption according to a specialist at The Icelandic Meteorological Office. A live webcam has been placed in the vicinity of Bardarbunga. 18. ágúst 2014 20:58