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Iceland warming up again - quakes swarming
DaveE said:Another video from a geologist with more seismic data.
Since the morning of November 11th, seismic activity related to the magma intrusion remains fairly constant. Since midnight November12th, around 1000 earthquakes have been recorded within the dyke, and all of them have been below M3.0 in magnitude. The most seismic activity has been located in the region north of Grindavík. Most of the earthquakes are at a depth of 3-5km corresponding to the lower part of the dyke intrusion.
GPS measurements covering the past 24 hours show that deformation associated with the dyke intrusion that formed on Friday, November 10th has slowed. This can be an indication that magma is moving closer to the surface, new models will be run as soon as new data comes in to update the model.
It was a joint assessment from the meeting, based on the latest data, that there is scope for temporary measures under the control of the Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management to collect necessities for the residents and attend to urgent errands in Grindavík and the surrounding area.
I think it's more that the earthquakes are indicative of a magma chamber close to the surface.Vanadium 50 said:I'm not a geologist, but isn't it better to have multiple small earthquakes and eruptions ands release the energy that way than to have one big one?
https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/t...wn-as-a-volcano-prepares-to-erupt/ar-AA1jM1GeMagma is continuing its approach to the town, prompting authorities to order an evacuation. The roads leading to Grindavik are currently closed, with inhabitants of the southwest portions being the first to leave. The Icelandic Civil Defense Agency emphasizes that this evacuation is purely precautionary.
Recent reports indicate that the magma tunnel has reached the town and crossed the coastline. It is now expanding under the sea. The Icelandic Meteorological Office predicts an eruption near Sundhnjúkagígar, north of Grindavik, could occur soon.
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/volcanic-fears-river-magma-cuts-073735840.htmlA 15-kilometer- (nine-mile-) long magma corridor now stretches from just northwest of Grindavík into the Atlantic Ocean, according to the Civil Protection Agency, which used models built from data collected in the area on Saturday.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/weat...d-volcano-grindavik-reykjanes-fagradalsfjall/Icelandic officials have evacuated the town of Grindavik, warning that a volcanic eruption is imminent. Cracks have appeared in the earth there, snaking under buildings, splitting streets and pouring steam into the air. And while magma hasn’t yet bubbled to the surface, experts say it probably will soon.
Radar satellite data from the Icelandic Meteorological Office show that a broad area around Grindavík sank by about 3 feet (1 meter) over 10 days, and the GPS station in town moved about 3 feet (1 meter) to the southeast with respect to the North American plate from Oct. 28 to Nov. 9. Large cracks have broken streets and houses in Grindavík.
Where the lava reaches the surface is the concern aside from the ongoing seismic activity. In a figure showing the rise and fall of the land, Grindavik is east of the land that had the greatest level of subsidence. Interesting there are red spots in the purple that would indicate rising locations is an area that mostly subsided. Or, could that be noise? A ridge east of Grindavik has risen.The Grindavík dike appeared to have reached within about 0.6 miles (1 kilometer) of the surface by Nov. 14 and could soon reach the surface.
Iceland derives 30% of its electricity from geothermal sources that use underground heat to drive turbines and produce power.
A hydrothermal plant called Svartsengi, near Grindavík, uses the underground heat to provide hot water for several thousand homes plus 75 megawatts of electricity.
. . .
That power plant is also part of the reason the Blue Lagoon is so popular. When the power plant was built in 1976, the plan was to discharge its still hot wastewater into an adjacent low area, expecting that it would seep into the ground. However, the geothermal water was loaded with dissolved silica, which turned to minerals when the water cooled, creating an impermeable layer. A small lake began to form.
Because of its high silica content, the water in this lake is a spectacular blue color that inspired the creation of the geothermal spa. The Blue Lagoon is now one of the top tourist attractions in the country.
I think they are all evacuated from the danger zone now, but their homes are still at risk, unfortunately.Greg Bernhardt said:Fingers crossed for our Iceland friends!
Using radar imagery taken over the weekend, the Icelandic Met Office said there had been a "significant crustal uplift" near Svartsengi, a geothermal hotspot on a southwestern cape on the island, near the capital Reykjavik, which was "indicative of a deep inflation" taking place. The ground has moved upwards by as much as three centimeters.
Why is the datestamp on the video now in 2023, but in the audio the person says "here, listen to this audio from 2022"?DaveE said:Iceland eruption has started.
IDK, not my live stream, dude. Ask Shawn? Maybe they want you to listen to audio from 2022?berkeman said:Why is the datestamp on the video now in 2023, but in the audio the person says "here, listen to this audio from 2022"?
A Coast Guard helicopter flew over the eruptions this evening with scientists and civil defense representatives. Bragi Valgeirsson, RÚV's cinematographer, was with us and captured these images of the beginning of the eruption.
The location of the fissure, which is some 2.5 miles long and growing quickly, is not far from the Svartsengi Power Plant and the town of Grindavík, which was evacuated last month because of heightened seismic activity, leading to concerns than an eruption was likely.
In the initial assessment Monday night, volcanologists had said that the eruption had occurred in one of the worst possible locations, posing a significant and immediate threat to both the evacuated town and the geothermal power plant.
But after volcanologists had a chance to fly over the site of the eruption in the Reykjanes Peninsula, the immediate situation did not appear as dire as initially feared, though the size of the eruption was larger than anticipated and the direction of the lava’s flow still unpredictable.
A horizontal intrusion of magma—around 6 miles in diameter—has been building under the peninsula since November 10, and is thought to be channeling magma into a vertical intrusion—estimated to be around 9.3 miles long—near the coastal fishing town of Grindavik.
Swarms of seismic activity led to anticipation that a volcanic event was set to occur, with magma likely propagating to the surface through the vertical dike. That occurred on Monday, December 18, with lava shooting up to 650 feet into the air from five fissures in the initial phase of the eruption.
Ben Edwards, an American volcanologist who has visited the Reykjanes Peninsula multiple times, previously told Newsweek that the eruption could mark the start of over a century of volcanic activity in the region.
His remarks came after a leading Icelandic volcanologist told Newsweek that after a dormant period, the activity leading up to the eruption could mark the start of an "intense" period of "rifting and volcanism" on the peninsula.
Flyboy said:Doesn’t look very promising for the town right now.
Ref: https://en.vedur.is/about-imo/news/a-seismic-swarm-started-north-of-grindavik-last-nightAn eruptionstarted at 7:57 UTC
The fissureopening is southeast of Hagafell mountain.
Thesouthern most part of the fissure is about 900 m from the town of Grindavík.
The openingis south of lava flow deflection barriers that are being built north ofGrindavík. Lava is now flowing towards the town.
Yeah, contractor working on backfilling a fissure. He was using a soil compactor and the ground opened up beneath him. They spent three days trying to find him and weren’t successful. They did, however, find out the fissures at the surface are actually quite sizable underneath and issued evacuation orders effective Monday. Looks like they were a little bit late.Astronuc said:The narrator mentions that someone fell into a fissure, but was not found!
There’s evidence for both. Best hypothesis right now is that the November 10th dike has been reactivated by fresh magma intrusion. That one is believed to have extended out under the ocean but they can’t confirm it.Astronuc said:I'm wondering if the sub-surface lava is pushing southward, or a fissure/fault is simply opening or 'unzipping' toward Grindavik.
New material erupts in the rift zones as they pull apart, separating the two major tectonic plates. In Iceland there’s a third microplate between the two rifts. The process continues through time, creating volcanic activity with ages somewhat symmetrical about each of the rifts. From the map, you can also see that most of Iceland’s big thermal areas lie within the rift zones.
Ref: BBC reporting from the area.As we've been reporting, two fissures opened today near the Icelandic town of Grindavik - both spewing lava.
The first formed early this morning around 1km (0.6 miles) from the town. You can see it at the top of the image.
Authorities say the lava flow from this fissure had largely stabilised before the second opened, around noon.
This fissure was much closer to Grindavik - less than 100m (320 feet) away.
The lava from that fissure has since spilled into the town, setting houses on fire.
From BBC live stream near Grindavik, IcelandGrindavik's mayor, Fannar Jonasson, said one of the fissures was only metres from his fence and he thought that he would be among those to lose their homes.
“Then it happened that the lava stopped flowing there so [the house] escaped, as well as the others who were there in danger,” he told RUV.
The Krafla Magma Testbed (KMT) aims to create the world's first research center above a magma chamber to monitor, sample, and test the molten rock in situ for the first time.
A volcanic eruption that has engulfed homes in an Icelandic fishing port confirms that a long-dormant faultline running under the country has woken up, threatening to belch out lava with little warning for years to come, an expert warned on Tuesday.
Sunday's eruption was the fifth in fewer than three years on the Reykjanes peninsula, which had not previously seen one in centuries.
"After eight centuries of a relative break and a complete cessation of surface activity, we have entered a new episode of plate separation which could last several years—possibly decades," volcanologist Patrick Allard from France's Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris told AFP.
The BBC page cited was live-streaming video of the lava flowing from the small fissure near Grindavik. The updated page shows the aftermath. Lava reached three homes on the north border of Grindavik; one home was newly constructed and not yet occupied. The whole town (fo about 3800 people) had been evacuated.Astronuc said:At 1500 local time, it appears lava has reached some houses.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-67973655
The lava has already caused major damage and severed the pipes that took hot water from the nearby power station into the town. Homes now have no heat, meaning that it is uninhabitable given freezing temperatures this time of year.
The volcanic eruption is Iceland’s fifth in three years, and second in less than a month. An eruption on Dec. 18 saw semi-molten rock projected into the air from a 2.5 miles long crack near Grindavik. Evacuated locals returned to their homes on Dec. 22 when volcanic activity had ceased.
Since then, emergency workers have been erecting a 3-meter (9.84-ft.) defensive walls around the town but they were not complete at the time of the second eruption. Jakobsdottir said the barriers were "serving their purpose" and had redirected the flow of lava. He added that the new fissure had, however, bypassed these defenses and made its way into the town.
I have just watched Shawn Willsey going through the updates (thanks @Astranut !)Astronuc said:I wonder if this will be a monthly occurrence.
Unless the influx of fresh magma stops, yes, it’s going to be a cyclical event. The folks in charge of the response are starting to realize just how much of a problem this is going to be. Between the aforementioned hot water supply interruptions, the direct threat to power generation facilities at Svartsengi, the indirect threat to the power grid due to disruptions to the aforementioned power plant… yeah, it’s not a pretty picture.Astronuc said:North of Grindavik but just east and near Mount Sýlingarfell and town of Svartsengi, which is west of Sýlingarfell. The lava will go wherever gravity and the land allows it.
https://apnews.com/article/iceland-volcano-eruption-1938ec2da163f6d2f5dcdd553aea812d
I wonder if this will be a monthly occurrence.
"The lava fountains reach about 50-80 m [164-262 feet] height and the volcanic plume rises about 3 km [1.9 miles] above the eruptive fissure."
That looks like Iceland's new highly-advanced space helicopter...Astronuc said:mages from space of the lava north of Grindavik
https://www.newsweek.com/iceland-volcano-update-lava-river-seen-space-1869062
pinball1970 said:This article in phys.org gives a summary of the situation in the area.
There is a link to a paper at the bottom.
https://phys.org/news/2024-02-unprecedented-magma-river-surged-beneath.html
Some frightening numbers in there from the met office
-Before Thursday's eruption, 6.5 million cubic meters of magma had accumulated below the region encompassing Grindavik
-The magma flowed at 7,400 cubic meters per second (not measured before in Iceland)
-800 years of dormancy prior 2021
The hot water pipeline has been restored to the towns and airport, and the road to the blue lagoon has been repaired according to this source. He gets a little edgy and satirical but the posts are informative.