Rumblings from another Icelandic volcano

[GloriaSmud]

and it's a big 'un!
This time at Bárðarbunga, with over 200 earthquakes recorded so far and last night, the Icelandic Met Office raised the aviation colour code to yellow to reflect the unrest that's going on.

Hopefully the concentration levels will be comparatively low.

Lava, that sounds worrying.

OYBBK, does the jet stream look likely to be moving away again soon? was it last year it was stuck in the same place which is what kept bringing in all that weather from over the atlantic?

At low levels, would it be obvious that there is higher than normal SO2 in the air? Does it smell? I keep thinking of stinkbombs ?

I hope so, the pollution we had last summer caused problems.
As for the smell, my teacher friend said it'll be like her classroom when there have been baked beans for lunch ????

that made me just spurt my tea out - poor teacher. LOL!!!

newbie, its very meandery and for the next couple of weeks the weather looks really pretty settled for most of us.

Thanks OYBBK. Does that mean we're in for a steady stream of the SO2 emissions? Also, does the gas just linger in the air until it rains? sorry if that's a silly question.
xxx

I heard today that we're in for a heat wave for October, not sure what difference that will make if any.

Newbie it should move away from us pretty quickly I think. If it were to rain it would wash out.

That's good news, thanks.

that is good news. Thanks so much to both of you.

I might order dd an extra inhaler as I think the other one is almost empty, I usually wait until it is but might as well make sure I've got one in, just incase it causes her problems.

Xxx

Hmm,,inhalers are not the sort of thing you want to find empty so I think I would get another.

What is happening in iceland tonight?

thanks Blot. I will definitely be getting an extra one.

By the way, the Bardarbunga2 webcam this evening is beautiful. I could watch it forever! its just stunning in the dark.
According to JonFr there is another storm due tomorrow, I think, so I wonder if the cams wont be very clear again.

there's a lot of mention on JonFr about Bardarbunga and inflation and also some mention of a deflation. I don't understand really. The only thing I can imagine is a balloon being blown up. is that the same sort of thing that's going on at BB?

sorry again for another daft question.

Newbie ~ These reports here and the video here might help explain things.

I struggle with the inflation bit ~ I think they mean the period of time (in this case, millions of years) when the volcano inflated because its magma chamber was being filled but it didn't erupt. But the magma chamber now has got so full, it's had to find an easy way out (where the fissure is erupting.) So the volcano is now sinking down (the deflation bit) through magma draining into the erupting fissure but the problem is that the fissure isn't erupting quickly enough to relieve the pressure in the magma chamber, so pressure is building back towards the volcano. As a result (unless the whole thing stops) there's the risk of more craters opening up along the fissure, with some of them being under the glacier (with the associated risk of glacial floods/ash clouds.) Even bigger problems occur if the sinking icecap comes into contact with the superheated magma ~ result is big, big explosions and huge amounts of flooding.

(Hope I've got/explained some of the above right!)

Thanks Gloria, that does make sense, though it's quite hard to imagine a massive rock structure inflating and deflating. It is like a living breathing thing.

The potential floods sounds quite scary.

Thanks again

Seems to be a bit of an earthquake swarm going on at the moment in the volcano.

In other news, it's been snowing and R2 is surrounded by a covering of snow today.

And pollution from Holuhraun reached Paris this week.

Have you seen about those poor hikers getting caught in the eruption in japan

volcano cafe have a horrifying video of hikers realising what is happening and turning and fleeing. Rather wish I hadn't watched it.

Yes, I saw it and wished I hadn't - I had the sound off as young children were in the room and it was terrible enough without it.

It's looking like at least 30 people have died :(

It's horrific. It looks like it is normally such a beautiful place. The terror they must have felt.

It's truly awful.
Looks like the rescue efforts have been started and then suspended again. Some terrible reports from hikers here.

:(

I have to say it must be taking huge huge courage for the rescue workers to go up there.

It's awful isn't it :( I once saw somebody die unexpectedly and it's a sight that I will never forget, they were a complete stranger but it really upset me for a long time.

Volcano season? theconversation.com/could-there-really-be-such-a-thing-as-volcano-season-32060