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'm finding it impossible to be objective I think. So my thoughts are probably massive codswallop.

What I find interesting is that as far as I can tell (and I may be wrong) the magma intrusion doesn't seem to be slowing down, which I think means it is being fed along the way. I think if it was purely being driven by a lot of pressure from the source we would have already seen eruptions at weak points.

This (massively conjecturally speaking) magma source would either be from the mantle, which would mean rifting has started or it's from Grimsvötn. Personally I do think it is unlikely to fizzle out. However, I have no idea what sort of eruption will ensue - either some sort of rifting fissure eruption or the magma chamber of Bárðarbunga collapsing seem to be the most likely options. From what I'm reading, the longer this goes on the more 'interesting' it could be. If it doesn't stall or turn before it reaches Askja we will probably have something happen by the end of the weekend.

If I was flying out somewhere, I wouldn't cancel, but I would gently muse over the alternative options of getting home. My bigger concern is for how this event if it occurs will affect Iceland in terms of ash fall and I'm also a little concerned for the potential for winter to become very cold but this will hugely depend on the type of eruption, should it occur.

Pure speculation, but what price a hat trick of Askja, Bardarbunga and Grimsvotn next week?
Seriously though, it's all unchartered waters now isn't it?
Meanwhile, volcano cafe has this:

Using Down Under ( Andrew)´s comments:August 27, 2014 at 05:04

Everybody, please welcome the dike into the Askja domain.

It is uncharted. Never before has this been seen.

I think it's about two days or so before it may engage with Askja's magma. I'm starting to see unsettled thoughts in people who have been very pragmatic up til now.

Think its time for them to blow up the dyke Hollywood style!!

I'll just call Bruce Willis and see if he is available.....

Glace, its Tommy Lee Jones you need not Bruce.

Can't we send in Bridget to tell the volcano to pull up its socks and what does it think it's doing?!

Maybe the no nonsense Mary berry could add to the efforts.

Red, if all three go I think we will need Bruce willis as well

We need Morgan Freeman as well to come along and be all statesman like while issuing instructions.

And the narrator from Come Dine With Me to do the narration

'Call that an eruption? I've seen more out of my arse on a Sunday morning'

Surely we need Peter Capaldi, after his Vesuvian experiences?

Ok, we have Bruce Willis, Tommy Lee Jones, Morgan Freeman, The Voice Over Guy from CDWM, Mary Berry and Peter Capaldi....

This begs only one question, if we are doing this Hollywood disaster movie style; who dies first?

Ooh that's tricky. I'm afraid for me (and don't hate me for this) it's Mary Berry - sorry Mary. It's because red hot lava would ooze over her and then CDWM chap would make a quip about hot jam.

John Travolta could do a fly over in his plane to check what is going on.

But usually in these disaster movies/series, there's some unknown/nameless person who goes to investigate the 'disaster' alongside the well known/famous actor, and it's usually this poor 'nameless person' that dies first. So if all the famous people had 'assistants' to be killed off first go and investigate and on that theory, I think the lovely Mary Berry should be safe.

On a more volcanic note, a report here (apologies it's from the Daily Mail) about how close everything's getting to Askja.

Stone the crows, a mail article with no sad face!! For once, they do seem to have a valid point.
I think there will be some kind of volcanic eruption in Iceland before the end of the month.

It's pretty sensationalist but not as terrible as it could be for the DM. Really think that the concentration on flight disruption is misplaced. I rather think that temporary climate change plus the impact on Icelanders are more important potential concerns.

Has the Express gone bonkers yet?

No, the Express haven't got a report on it yet (give it time!)
I think the problem is that when the UK media hears the words "possibility of an Icelandic volcanic eruption", they/their readers think straight away about the 2010 eruption and concentrate on the one thing that affected the UK the most ~ cancelled/delayed flights. So from 2010 onwards, everyone thinks that every erupting Icelandic volcano will be exactly the same, with the same problem ash and the same flight bans.

I think it's because relatively few people have been to Iceland, perhaps particularly amongst tabloid readers and so they have no knowledge of what the country is like to base it on so can only expect a massive mt. Etna style eruption and haven't got a clue about the geological anomalies that Iceland produces.
Then again they could just be ignorant and can't be bothered to learn anything other than what happens in the soaps......

Oooo er. apparently there is some glacial melting south of Bárðarbunga and some glacial rifts

No idea of the implications.

And also some glacial depressions but the article says they aren't related to the intrusion heading north.

I saw this about 11.30 last night when the posters on the blogs started talking about it. No one seems very sure what's gone on/going on though. IMO will probably be doing flights over the area this morning.

Also: 27th August 2014 20:50 - info from a surveillance flight

Scientists from IES and IMO on a flight to Vatnajökull tonight discovered a row of 10-15 m deep cauldrons south of the Bárðarbunga caldera. They form a 6-4 km long line. The cauldrons have been formed as a result of melting, possibly a sub-glacial eruption, uncertain when. Heightened tremor level/volcanic tremor has not been observed on IMO's seismometers at the moment. The new data is being examined.
en.vedur.is/earthquakes-and-volcanism/articles/nr/2947

Lots of EQ activity this morning in the area.

Last night I dreamt it had a Krakatoa style eruption so loud that we could hear it in the UK. Pretty sure that won't be an outcome