Chances of eruption increase as seismic activity drags on By Kristján Már Unnarsson 22. ágúst 2014 11:34 Magnús Tumi Gudmundsson. Vísir/Baldur Hrafnkell The longer that the seismic activity under Bárðarbunga goes on, the greater the risk of an eruption, according to Magnús Tumi Guðmundsson, geophysicist and Professor at the University of Iceland. The authorities are acting on two key phrases: There are no signs of the magma reaching the surface, and that the seismic activity is still very powerful. Scientists differ on how to interpret several large quakes from Thursday that originated in the center of the Bárðarbunga caldera. While some scientists claim that this means that the pressure is lowering, others claim the exact opposite. Scientists met today at the Institution of Earth Sciences in Iceland to compare notes and try to determine the chances of an eruption.Kristín Vogfjörð, seismologist and research director at the Icelandic Meteorological Office.Vísir/Baldur Hrafnkell"It's still likely to end in an eruption, and those odds haven't lowered in any way," states Magnús Tumi. "The longer that this takes place, the greater the chances of something happening. But I don't think that the odds are favoring an eruption, but then again it's all guesswork," he adds. Scientists believe they have a rough idea about what's been happening under Vatnajökull glacier for the past week, that magma is flowing from under the Bárðarbunga caldera to the northeast towards Dyngjujökull glacier, where the magma is forming a 25 kilometer long underground cavern at a depth of 5 to 10 kilometers. Looking at the 3D model that the The Icelandic Meteorological Office has constructed of the seismic events, one can see the cavern's location.Ingi Þorleifur Bjarnason seismologist and geophysicist at the Institution of Earth Sciences.Vísir/Baldur HrafnkellScientists disagree on how to interpret large quakes that took place in the Bárðarbunga caldera last night and this morning. Kristín Vogfjörð, research director for the Icelandic Meteorological Office, claims that according to GPS data the pressure in the caldera is lowering. But Ingi Þorleifur Bjarnason, seismologist and geophysicist at the Institution of Earth Sciences, interprets the quakes differently: That the pressure is increasing and the mountain is rising, more magma is entering the caldera. News in English Tengdar fréttir Composed music from the Bárðarbunga quakes "All music is just data, in a way. You can interpret Beethoven's Fifth Symphony as data, which is just notes of variable pitches at variable times. In that way, earthquakes are no different." 20. ágúst 2014 14:52 Earthquake swarm by Bárðarbunga volcano At about 3 a.m. this morning (16 August), an earthquake swarm began by Bárðarbunga volcano in NW Vatnajökull ice cap. 16. ágúst 2014 10:00 Current situation not comparable to Eyjafjallajökull eruption Ongoing magma movement in Bárðarbunga for the past days have raised questions of possible flight disruptions between Iceland and Europe. 19. ágúst 2014 16:15 Bardarbunga earthquake reclassified as magnitude 4.5 Seismologists at the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) have reclassified the earthquake close to the Bardarbunga volcano last night. 18. ágúst 2014 22:49 Mapped the Bárðarbunga quakes in a 3D model A 24-year old employee of CCP Games has set up a website that shows the seismic activity at Bárðarbunga in a 3D perspective. 19. ágúst 2014 22:45 Activity in Bárðarbunga volcano Over the last seven years seismic activity has been gradually increasing in Bardarbunga and the fissure swarm north of the volcano. 16. ágúst 2014 10:00 Magma flowing into Bárðarbunga caldera with great force All highland roads north of Vatnajökull glacier have been closed and all traffic banned, whether by vehicle or on foot. The Bárðarbunga situation is now attracting worldwide attention on a scale similar to the Eyjafjallajökull eruption in 2010. 20. ágúst 2014 14:41 Strongest earthquake yet in Bardarbunga An earthquake of magnitude 4.7 shook the Bardarbunga volcano just before midnight last night. 22. ágúst 2014 10:13 2800 earthquakes in three days Of these around 950 have occured since midnight today. Several of these events were larger than magnitude 3. 19. ágúst 2014 00:17 Icelandair stocks shake in quake scare Icelandair stocks have dropped sharply since Monday morning. Market analysts agree that the situation at Bárðarbunga is a large factor. 20. ágúst 2014 13:15 Magma surge towards the surface would be very powerful The current situation at Bárðarbunga is many times more powerful than the one that led to the Gjálpar eruption in 1996. 20. ágúst 2014 14:58 No signs of receding seismic actvity in Bárðarbunga Close to 300 earthquakes were recorded there last night, of which two reached over 3 on the Richter scale. 21. ágúst 2014 14:03 "There is full reason to expect an eruption" The seismic activity in Bardarbunga on the Vatnajokull glacier is very powerful and therefore full reason to expect a volcanic eruption according to a specialist at The Icelandic Meteorological Office. A live webcam has been placed in the vicinity of Bardarbunga. 18. ágúst 2014 20:58 Mest lesið Vaktin: Totur farnar að teygja sig til norðurs Innlent Kosningavaktin: Íslendingar ganga að kjörborðinu Innlent Sigmundur hafi viljað í kennslustund með nemendum Innlent Jafnast ekki út að vera með annan fótinn í hrauni og hinn í ís Innlent „Allt athafnasvæði Bláa lónsins er innan varnargarða“ Innlent Eldri maður á gamalli Corollu ógnaði ekki lífi hjóna á nýjum Ram Innlent Með hundruð kílóa af þýfi heima hjá sér Innlent Segir íbúafundinn ekki hafa verið nægilega upplýsandi Innlent Bein útsending: Heilbrigðisstarfsfólk grillar frambjóðendur Innlent Eigandi gistiheimilis handtekinn í gengslum við metanóleitrun Erlent
The longer that the seismic activity under Bárðarbunga goes on, the greater the risk of an eruption, according to Magnús Tumi Guðmundsson, geophysicist and Professor at the University of Iceland. The authorities are acting on two key phrases: There are no signs of the magma reaching the surface, and that the seismic activity is still very powerful. Scientists differ on how to interpret several large quakes from Thursday that originated in the center of the Bárðarbunga caldera. While some scientists claim that this means that the pressure is lowering, others claim the exact opposite. Scientists met today at the Institution of Earth Sciences in Iceland to compare notes and try to determine the chances of an eruption.Kristín Vogfjörð, seismologist and research director at the Icelandic Meteorological Office.Vísir/Baldur Hrafnkell"It's still likely to end in an eruption, and those odds haven't lowered in any way," states Magnús Tumi. "The longer that this takes place, the greater the chances of something happening. But I don't think that the odds are favoring an eruption, but then again it's all guesswork," he adds. Scientists believe they have a rough idea about what's been happening under Vatnajökull glacier for the past week, that magma is flowing from under the Bárðarbunga caldera to the northeast towards Dyngjujökull glacier, where the magma is forming a 25 kilometer long underground cavern at a depth of 5 to 10 kilometers. Looking at the 3D model that the The Icelandic Meteorological Office has constructed of the seismic events, one can see the cavern's location.Ingi Þorleifur Bjarnason seismologist and geophysicist at the Institution of Earth Sciences.Vísir/Baldur HrafnkellScientists disagree on how to interpret large quakes that took place in the Bárðarbunga caldera last night and this morning. Kristín Vogfjörð, research director for the Icelandic Meteorological Office, claims that according to GPS data the pressure in the caldera is lowering. But Ingi Þorleifur Bjarnason, seismologist and geophysicist at the Institution of Earth Sciences, interprets the quakes differently: That the pressure is increasing and the mountain is rising, more magma is entering the caldera.
News in English Tengdar fréttir Composed music from the Bárðarbunga quakes "All music is just data, in a way. You can interpret Beethoven's Fifth Symphony as data, which is just notes of variable pitches at variable times. In that way, earthquakes are no different." 20. ágúst 2014 14:52 Earthquake swarm by Bárðarbunga volcano At about 3 a.m. this morning (16 August), an earthquake swarm began by Bárðarbunga volcano in NW Vatnajökull ice cap. 16. ágúst 2014 10:00 Current situation not comparable to Eyjafjallajökull eruption Ongoing magma movement in Bárðarbunga for the past days have raised questions of possible flight disruptions between Iceland and Europe. 19. ágúst 2014 16:15 Bardarbunga earthquake reclassified as magnitude 4.5 Seismologists at the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) have reclassified the earthquake close to the Bardarbunga volcano last night. 18. ágúst 2014 22:49 Mapped the Bárðarbunga quakes in a 3D model A 24-year old employee of CCP Games has set up a website that shows the seismic activity at Bárðarbunga in a 3D perspective. 19. ágúst 2014 22:45 Activity in Bárðarbunga volcano Over the last seven years seismic activity has been gradually increasing in Bardarbunga and the fissure swarm north of the volcano. 16. ágúst 2014 10:00 Magma flowing into Bárðarbunga caldera with great force All highland roads north of Vatnajökull glacier have been closed and all traffic banned, whether by vehicle or on foot. The Bárðarbunga situation is now attracting worldwide attention on a scale similar to the Eyjafjallajökull eruption in 2010. 20. ágúst 2014 14:41 Strongest earthquake yet in Bardarbunga An earthquake of magnitude 4.7 shook the Bardarbunga volcano just before midnight last night. 22. ágúst 2014 10:13 2800 earthquakes in three days Of these around 950 have occured since midnight today. Several of these events were larger than magnitude 3. 19. ágúst 2014 00:17 Icelandair stocks shake in quake scare Icelandair stocks have dropped sharply since Monday morning. Market analysts agree that the situation at Bárðarbunga is a large factor. 20. ágúst 2014 13:15 Magma surge towards the surface would be very powerful The current situation at Bárðarbunga is many times more powerful than the one that led to the Gjálpar eruption in 1996. 20. ágúst 2014 14:58 No signs of receding seismic actvity in Bárðarbunga Close to 300 earthquakes were recorded there last night, of which two reached over 3 on the Richter scale. 21. ágúst 2014 14:03 "There is full reason to expect an eruption" The seismic activity in Bardarbunga on the Vatnajokull glacier is very powerful and therefore full reason to expect a volcanic eruption according to a specialist at The Icelandic Meteorological Office. A live webcam has been placed in the vicinity of Bardarbunga. 18. ágúst 2014 20:58 Mest lesið Vaktin: Totur farnar að teygja sig til norðurs Innlent Kosningavaktin: Íslendingar ganga að kjörborðinu Innlent Sigmundur hafi viljað í kennslustund með nemendum Innlent Jafnast ekki út að vera með annan fótinn í hrauni og hinn í ís Innlent „Allt athafnasvæði Bláa lónsins er innan varnargarða“ Innlent Eldri maður á gamalli Corollu ógnaði ekki lífi hjóna á nýjum Ram Innlent Með hundruð kílóa af þýfi heima hjá sér Innlent Segir íbúafundinn ekki hafa verið nægilega upplýsandi Innlent Bein útsending: Heilbrigðisstarfsfólk grillar frambjóðendur Innlent Eigandi gistiheimilis handtekinn í gengslum við metanóleitrun Erlent
Composed music from the Bárðarbunga quakes "All music is just data, in a way. You can interpret Beethoven's Fifth Symphony as data, which is just notes of variable pitches at variable times. In that way, earthquakes are no different." 20. ágúst 2014 14:52
Earthquake swarm by Bárðarbunga volcano At about 3 a.m. this morning (16 August), an earthquake swarm began by Bárðarbunga volcano in NW Vatnajökull ice cap. 16. ágúst 2014 10:00
Current situation not comparable to Eyjafjallajökull eruption Ongoing magma movement in Bárðarbunga for the past days have raised questions of possible flight disruptions between Iceland and Europe. 19. ágúst 2014 16:15
Bardarbunga earthquake reclassified as magnitude 4.5 Seismologists at the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) have reclassified the earthquake close to the Bardarbunga volcano last night. 18. ágúst 2014 22:49
Mapped the Bárðarbunga quakes in a 3D model A 24-year old employee of CCP Games has set up a website that shows the seismic activity at Bárðarbunga in a 3D perspective. 19. ágúst 2014 22:45
Activity in Bárðarbunga volcano Over the last seven years seismic activity has been gradually increasing in Bardarbunga and the fissure swarm north of the volcano. 16. ágúst 2014 10:00
Magma flowing into Bárðarbunga caldera with great force All highland roads north of Vatnajökull glacier have been closed and all traffic banned, whether by vehicle or on foot. The Bárðarbunga situation is now attracting worldwide attention on a scale similar to the Eyjafjallajökull eruption in 2010. 20. ágúst 2014 14:41
Strongest earthquake yet in Bardarbunga An earthquake of magnitude 4.7 shook the Bardarbunga volcano just before midnight last night. 22. ágúst 2014 10:13
2800 earthquakes in three days Of these around 950 have occured since midnight today. Several of these events were larger than magnitude 3. 19. ágúst 2014 00:17
Icelandair stocks shake in quake scare Icelandair stocks have dropped sharply since Monday morning. Market analysts agree that the situation at Bárðarbunga is a large factor. 20. ágúst 2014 13:15
Magma surge towards the surface would be very powerful The current situation at Bárðarbunga is many times more powerful than the one that led to the Gjálpar eruption in 1996. 20. ágúst 2014 14:58
No signs of receding seismic actvity in Bárðarbunga Close to 300 earthquakes were recorded there last night, of which two reached over 3 on the Richter scale. 21. ágúst 2014 14:03
"There is full reason to expect an eruption" The seismic activity in Bardarbunga on the Vatnajokull glacier is very powerful and therefore full reason to expect a volcanic eruption according to a specialist at The Icelandic Meteorological Office. A live webcam has been placed in the vicinity of Bardarbunga. 18. ágúst 2014 20:58