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.

I assume there is no connection with the earthquake in N California today??

Link to California story

None at all Magimedi :)

Gloria, I think that's about right, it's also about the nature of the eruption that might happen I think. I need to dig out my OU books on it. (Just a short module, nothing grand)

IS this low cloud or is something underway?

Pretty sure that is a dust storm :)

Hard to say, judgement is perhaps flawed after a few glasses of vino grape juice....

Interesting write up on Volcano Cafe here

I just read it Manky. It's a very uncomfortable read isn't it.

I know how to fix this though cos I saw it in a movie when a rift was heading towards a nuclear reactor. They blew up the rift and diverted it round. Sadly though the rift did keep going and broke America in half but never mind...

(Hope no one takes me seriously!)

It is, especially if you (and I am sure you do) have an understanding of the science behind it.

I know how to fix this though cos I saw it in a movie when a rift was heading towards a nuclear reactor. They blew up the rift and diverted it round. Sadly though the rift did keep going and broke America in half but never mind...

So the earthquake in the Napa Valley was your fault then OYBBK?

sorry! I'm still practising at tectonic management.

It is OYBBK.

I am at work and can only dip in and out of updates. It does look like they are suggesting a large fissure eruption is more likely now. Though not certain.

This blog makes for interesting reading. Not sure if I understand but I think if the magma gets to a rift, then it could push through, whereas if it stays in the dyke then it's happy there.

From what I understand a dyke is where lava pushes through rock vertically (if it's horizontal it's a sill). A rift is where tectonic plates are pulling apart so it's like the rock is being unzippered.

I think it's that too, it's a while since I did my geology though.
"A dyke is a shaft of igneous rocks that cuts across the geological layers, whereas a sill runs parallel to the geological strata." is what I read online.

Possible scenarios here

UKWW thread has an excellent discussion on it while I wait for my next volcano cafe fix.

Latest update on what the IMO thinks volcano/instrusion wise (I don't think they've got much of an idea as this is unknown territory!) is here. Lots of blogs/message boards are debating whether the intrusion will reach Askja and Erik Klemetti is pondering on that one here.

And if anyone's having problems getting on some of the webcams (I'm having a problem especially with the mila webcams), this website here I think has them all.

Report on a study being carried out by a team from the University of Cambridge, here, that thinks that magma is moving towards the Askja volcanic system.

After looking at that link and what it says about the amount of magma, anyone know how big 50 million cubic metres is, in terms of something it's possible to imagine?

It's 20,000 Olympic swimming pools. But I'm finding that slightly difficult to imagine as it's a bit abstract/unreal.

New Volcanocafe post up. here

I love the author's choice of words in places in that link:

"At the going rate the intrusion will slam into the eastern side of Askja’s magmatic system in 2 to 3 days. The effects of that could become slightly troublesome."

He seems a lot more honest in his thoughts than a lot of bloggers who are saying just a dyke intrusion yadda yadda. I wonder whether the others are actually thinking the same things as him.

What's your gut feeling on this OYBBK?