From the Icelandic Met Office
It is believed that a small subglacial lava-eruption has begun under the Dyngjujökull glacier. The aviation color code for the Bárðarbunga volcano has been changed from orange to red. Image follows.
![volcano_status[1]](https://wattsupwiththat.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/volcano_status1.png?quality=75)
Webcam image showing either soil/dust being blown into the air by gas venting or ash being ejected.
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An interesting link to tracking the eruption:
http://baering.github.io/
Shows earthquakes in a 3D view to see where and when larger quakes have happened in context of event depth, cam view and other data.
My view is this is not ash, that’s dust (OK, remobilized ash), the question is what is doing it.
“Gas venting”
Latest image from the webcam – subterranean dyke was reported 25km long yesterday.
http://i.imgur.com/oDWdE8S.jpg
Climate change in action!
/Sarc
/Snark
I wonder what direction the wind blowing in that pic of ash / gas venting in the main post? Normally Iceland winds prevail toward the east. Large Iceland population centers are to the west or southwest of Bárðarbunga.
John Whitman says:
August 23, 2014 at 9:41 am
I wonder what direction the wind blowing in that pic of ash / gas venting in the main post? Normally Iceland winds prevail toward the east. Large Iceland population centers are to the west or southwest of Bárðarbunga.
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nullschool shows 11 km/h from 240 degrees (up the central valley) but that’s moving approximately SSE, as far as I can determine.
Winds are south over that part of Iceland. Any plume would get moved east toward Ireland once over the Atlantic.
Winds are south over that part of Iceland. Any plume would get moved east toward Ireland once over the Atlantic.
Unmentionable says:
August 23, 2014 at 9:55 am
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Unmentionable,
Thanks. If so, then the wind wasn’t carrying the ash/dust/gas in that pic toward the major Iceland population centers to the west or south west.
John
what does it suggest after the breach and you start getting more activity deeper down? Is that a good sign or a bad sign?
Current surface winds
http://en.vedur.is/photos/thattaspa_harmonie_island_10uv/140823_1200_006.gif
From a woman’s point of view, I would say that the contractions are about 2 minutes apart. The question is now, how big is this baby going to be?
Joel O’Bryan says:
August 23, 2014 at 9:57 am
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Joel O’Bryan,
Thanks.
John
Now this is different, the steady westward march of DYNC has reversed, and like its northern limb, both are now retracing the former path out. With an apparent vertical multi-day oscillation.
http://strokkur.raunvis.hi.is/gps/DYNC_3mrap.png
GSIG is still heading steadily SE
HAFS is heading NE
VONC is heading ESE and sinking slowly
GFUM is almost stationary
Most vertical motions are small.
FergalR says:
August 23, 2014 at 9:38 am
That is not related to the eruption. It’s just a sandstorm.
http://www.mbl.is/frettir/innlent/2014/08/23/this_is_not_the_eruption/
Wind forecast at 300 mbar for later tonight.
http://virga.sfsu.edu/gif/jetstream_atl_h12_00.gif
live webcam:
http://www.livefromiceland.is/webcams/bardarbunga/
Thanks Joel.
Light winds from ~240 degrees forecast so why a sudden dust storm heading SSE, just when the quakes started ramping? That’s when it started because I checked the cameras right away at that time and it was not there. A few minutes later it started kicking up. It could be just a dust storm, of course, but it seems very coincidental given the forecast and the fact the western caldera area is now shrouded by it.
From the link I posted above at 10:25am :
“Do not be fooled, this is not a photo of the Dyngjujökull eruption. This is a photo of a small sand storm near the Bardarbunga webcam, some distance away from the site where the eruption is supposed to have occurred.
The eruption took place under a glacier, so no photos have been taken of the eruption, nor has anyone seen the eruption.”
That it, then?
“… A small subglacial eruption
As explained in the update article at two o’clock, seismic data indicates a small lava-eruption under the Dyngjujökull glacier. According to interpretation, magma has come in touch with ice. This has not resulted in flooding yet. However, tourists have been guided to leave the relevant area.
No visible changes were seen when the Icelandic Coast Guard airplane TF-SIF flew over the area this afternoon with representatives from the Civil Protection and experts from the Icelandic Met Office and the Institute of Earth Sciences. Data from radars and web-cameras is being received, showing no signs of changes at the surface. The estimate is that 150-400 meters of ice is above the area. …”
http://en.vedur.is/about-imo/news/nr/2960
A reliable source of comment from a vulcanologist is
http://www.wired.com/category/eruptions/
His latest comment is:
“Big take-home message so far is that the eruption appears to be small and under the ice. If/when it melts through the ice (which Dave McGarvie guesses might take a few hours), we might seem some explosive activity. However, right now, this is not a repeat of Eyjafjallajökull 2010 or Grimsvötn 2011.”
How long until this eruption is used to explain the pause?
Animated wind map here:
http://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/surface/level/orthographic=-19.25,49.87,640
(original from ren)
Anything is possible says:
August 23, 2014 at 10:41 am
From the link I posted above at 10:25am :
“Do not be fooled, this is not a photo of the Dyngjujökull eruption. This is a photo of a small sand storm near the Bardarbunga webcam, some distance away from the site where the eruption is supposed to have occurred.
The eruption took place under a glacier, so no photos have been taken of the eruption, nor has anyone seen the eruption.”
__
Anything is possible,
Just want you to do something here. Click on the image Anthony posted to expand it and have a close look. For a dust storm (no, not a sand storm, sand is too heavy and falls out too fast), it is extremely selective in where it occurs. Seen plenty of dust storms but not seen one do that.