Iceland raises risk level for volcano eruption to second-highest

[MorningSong]

Heads up!

Iceland raises risk level for volcano eruption to second-highest
Source: Reuters - Mon, 18 Aug 2014 14:17 GMT

(Reuters) - Iceland's Met Office on Monday raised its risk level to the aviation industry for an eruption at its Bardarbunga volcano to orange, which is the fourth level on a five-grade scale.

Ash from the eruption of Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano in 2010 shut down much of Europe's airspace for six days, affecting more than 10 million people and costing $1.7 billion.

There has been intense seismic activity at Bardarbunga since Aug. 16, although there are no signs of eruption yet.

Met Office seismologist Martin Hensch said the risk of any disruptive ash cloud similar to the one in 2010 would depend on how high any ash would be thrown, how much there would be and how fine-grained it would be.

Bardarbunga is Iceland's largest volcanic system, located under the ice cap of the Vatnajokull glacier in the southwest of Iceland. It is in a different range to Eyjafjallajokull.

The Met Office said in a statement it measured the strongest earthquake in the region since 1996 early on Monday and it had now strong indications of ongoing magma movement.

"As evidence of magma movement shallower than 10 km implies increased potential of a volcanic eruption, the Bardarbunga aviation colour code has been changed to orange," it said.

"Presently there are no signs of eruption, but it cannot be excluded that the current activity will result in an explosive subglacial eruption, leading to an outburst flood and ash emission."

The colour codes, which are in accordance with recommended International Civil Aviation Organisation procedures, are intended to inform the aviation sector about a volcano's status.

Hensch said the biggest risk in Iceland itself was from flood waves from any eruption under the glacier. He said the area of Iceland mainly at risk of flooding was mostly uninhabited but that roads in the area had been closed.

Eurocontrol, the Brussels-based agency responsible for co-ordinating European airspace, said in a statement it was aware the Icelandic Met Office had revised the status of the volcano and it was following the situation closely.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/0...0GI1CD20140818

http://www.trust.org/item/2014081813...rce=hpbreaking

[MorningSong]

Urgent Update!

23 August 2014 Last updated at 21:59 GMT

Iceland volcano: Eruption under ice-cap sparks red alert

Iceland has issued a red alert to aviation after indications of a possible eruption under the country's biggest glacier, the Vattnajokull.

The Icelandic Met Office warned that a small eruption had taken place under the Dyngjujokull ice cap.

Seismic activity is continuing at the Bardarbunga volcano, about 30km away.

Airspace over the site has been closed, but all Icelandic airports currently remain open, authorities say. A Europe-wide alert has also been upgraded.

European air safety agency Eurocontrol said it would produce a forecast of likely ash behaviour every six hours.

Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano erupted in 2010, producing ash that severely disrupted air travel.

The red alert is the highest warning on the country's five-point scale.
Flooding threat

The Icelandic Met Office said a team of scientists was flying across the region on Saturday afternoon to monitor seismic activity.

"The eruption is considered a minor event at this point," police said in a statement.

"Because of pressure from the glacier cap, it is uncertain whether the eruption will stay sub-glacial or not."

The Met Office later issued an update saying that tremor levels had decreased during the afternoon but that earthquake activity was continuing.

Virgin Atlantic said it had rerouted a flight from London to San Francisco away from the volcano as a precautionary measure.

It said its other flights "continue to operate as normal".

British Airways said it was keeping the situation "under close observation", but that its flights were continuing to operate normally for now.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said there would be no impact on flights unless there was an actual eruption.

Bardarbunga and Dyngjujokull are part of a large volcano system hidden beneath the 500-metre (0.31-mile) thick Vatnajokull glacier in central Iceland.

Authorities have previously warned that any eruption could result in flooding north of the glacier.

On Wednesday, authorities evacuated several hundred people from the area over fears of an eruption.

The region, located more than 300km (190 miles) from the capital Reykjavik, has no permanent residents but sits within a national park popular with tourists.

The move came after geologists reported that about 300 earthquakes had been detected in the area since midnight on Tuesday.

The Eyjafjallajokull eruption in April 2010 caused the largest closure of European airspace since World War Two, with losses estimated at between 1.5bn and 2.5bn euros (£1.3-2.2bn).

Criticism following the strictly enforced shutdown resulted in the CAA relaxing its rules to allow planes to fly in areas with a low density of volcanic ash.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-28913165

[Fairy Friend]

Iceland has had 3 fair sized quakes in the last day or so. Activity there's picking up. The last one that just happened is 5.3.

[marlowe]

Edgar Cayce said that Northern Europe will be changed in the twinkling

of an eye......My intuition is telling me that this volcano is going to erupt and the jet stream will carry the dust, ash and smoke east and fulfill Cayce's prediction....

I follow several prediction sources and I honestly believe we are about to experience a historical tipping point....& it starts in 2014...