Katla Volcano, Iceland - Activity on the Increase

[GCANE]

Tremors and a possible small eruption in the last week.

Could it be a pre-cursor to a bigger eruption?

Now just heard a 3.1 quake occurred.

[GCANE]

New activity on Katla including a 3.8 Quake and aftershocks:

http://www.jonfr.com/volcano/

[GCANE]

New cauldrons forms in Mýrdalsjökull glacier (Katla volcano)

http://www.jonfr.com/volcano/?p=1219

According to the news here in Iceland there have been a formation of at least three new cauldrons in Mýrdalsjökull glacier, where they have not been before in the glacier.

But this means that the hydrothermal areas under the glacier are growing in size due to new magma pushing up into the crust and warming it up.

[GCANE]

Video of flight over glacier on the 16th.

New holes seen about 3:54 in.



[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzxiTtN9FTM&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

[GCANE]

Earthquake close to Hekla volcano. A earthquake swarm in Katla volcano
Posted on August 28, 2011 by Jón Frímann



A ML2.4 earthquake did happen close to Hekla volcano at 07:30 UTC. Depth of this earthquake was 3.7 km. The earthquake did happen on earthquake fault line that was created in a large earthquake in the year 1912. This fault line has been known since then and is well documented.

Two new earthquake swarms took place in Katla volcano today. This earthquake started around 09:30 UTC this morning. Most of the earthquakes where smaller then ML1.0 in size. The depth was around 5.5 km on average. The largest earthquake was ML2.3 in size, with the depth of 5.5 km. That earthquake swarm was in Goðabunga area of Mýrdalsjökull glacier (Katla volcano). But here was also a minor earthquake swarm inside Katla volcano caldera. But in that earthquake swarm the earthquakes there where even smaller, most of those earthquake didn’t reach the size ML1.0. The earthquake swarm in Goðabunga area in Katla volcano might be due to dike intrusion in that area. I do not know if this might be something else. But given the data, this is the most likely the reason for this earthquake swarm in this area. The earthquake swarm did stop at 12:47 UTC. After that everything has been quiet so far.

Few earthquakes also did happen SE part of the Katla volcano caldera. But there have been earthquakes in this area since July. But this activity did start soon after the glacier flood from Mýrdalsjökull glacier.


http://www.jonfr.com/volcano/

[GCANE]

456 quakes in Iceland in the past 48 hrs.

[GCANE]

This morning there has been some earthquake activity in Katla volcano. But it has also been reported in the news this morning that a really strong sulphur smell was found around 06:00 UTC on nearby farm to Múlakvísl river this morning.

http://www.jonfr.com/volcano/

[GCANE]

Harmonic tremors on the rise

[GCANE]

Small eruption took place in Katla volcano in July 2011


According to the news on Rúv this evening it is now a opinion at Icelandic Met Office that a small eruption did take place in Katla volcano during the days 8 and 9 July 2011. This eruption was however larger then the eruption in Fimmvörðuháls in Eyjafjallajökull volcano last year (2010). But this is based on tremor data from around Katla volcano during this summer. But this is what Einar Kjartansson geologist at Iceland Met Office says in the news at Rúv this evening. Even if this small eruption did take place in Katla volcano it does not seems to have eased the pressure inside Katla volcano, so a large eruption in Katla volcano is still a possibility in the close future. Note: GVP has updated Katla volcano eruption status to the year 2011!


http://www.jonfr.com/volcano/

[Nightwatch]

October 5, 2011

At 02:45 UTC a large earthquake swarm did start in Katla volcano. I do not know if this an start of a eruption in Katla volcano or not. For the moment it is too early to know for sure. I have to wait few more min before that becomes clear on the harmonic tremor plots. The largest earthquake so far according to the automatic SIL systems is a ML3.9 earthquake.

The earthquake swarm in Katla volcano. The second green star is from a fake ML3.3 earthquake from yesterday. [/q]

5-10-2011 05:45:48 -19.18 63.64 1.1 Km 1.0
05-10-2011 05:45:38 -19.37 63.55 8.7 Km 2.3
05-10-2011 05:20:43 -19.10 63.64 1.1 Km 1.8
05-10-2011 05:12:17 -19.09 63.65 1.1 Km 2.3
05-10-2011 04:55:16 -19.34 63.53 5.6 Km 0.5
05-10-2011 04:42:33 -19.10 63.64 1.1 Km 0.7
05-10-2011 04:41:25 -19.18 63.64 1.1 Km 1.3
05-10-2011 04:33:12 -19.18 63.65 1.1 Km 1.3
05-10-2011 04:29:05 -19.11 63.64 1.1 Km 2.3
05-10-2011 04:23:06 -19.12 63.66 1.1 Km 2.3
05-10-2011 04:13:39 -19.07 63.63 1.1 Km 2.5
05-10-2011 04:11:56 -19.70 63.85 11.8 Km 2.7
05-10-2011 04:11:51 -19.10 63.65 1.1 Km 3.3
05-10-2011 04:11:45 -19.10 63.65 1.1 Km 1.5
05-10-2011 03:44:05 -19.05 63.65 4.4 Km 2.5
05-10-2011 03:35:42 -19.19 63.68 5.0 Km 0.9
05-10-2011 03:07:25 -19.09 63.64 0.1 Km 2.2
05-10-2011 03:01:16 -19.09 63.64 1.1 Km 0.7
05-10-2011 02:56:06 -19.07 63.65 1.1 Km 1.1
05-10-2011 02:54:31 -19.09 63.64 1.1 Km 2.4
05-10-2011 02:52:57 -19.11 63.63 4.9 Km 2.4
05-10-2011 02:52:45 -19.07 63.65 4.2 Km 1.9
05-10-2011 02:50:38 -19.09 63.65 1.1 Km 3.9
05-10-2011 02:50:07 -19.12 63.64 1.1 Km 1.7
05-10-2011 02:48:42 -19.12 63.65 4.8 Km 1.7
05-10-2011 02:48:11 -19.11 63.65 1.1 Km 0.9

Lots of earthquakes atm at Katla.. 4.1 earlier today

[GCANE]

Sharp Series of Earthquakes in Katla Volcano

A sharp series of earthquakes began shortly before 3 am last night in the northern Katla caldera below Mýrdalsjökull glacier in south Iceland with the first quake measuring well over three points on the Richter scale, according to earth scientist Benedikt Ófeigsson who was called out to the Icelandic Meteorological Office.

Ófeigsson said a few other earthquakes measuring around three points on the Richter scale followed but then the seismic activity subsided, only to pick up again at 3:30 am and again at 5:30 am, but in both those instances the earthquakes were weaker than during the first series, visir.is reports.

Therefore, it was not considered necessary to alert the Civil Defense Department, Ófeigsson explained, although the events of the night will be reviewed there this morning.


http://www.icelandreview.com/daily_news/

[GCANE]

Iceland’s massive volcano Katla appears to be on the brink of a major eruption


http://thewatchers.adorraeli.com/2011/1 ... -eruption/


Iceland’s massive volcano Katla appears on the brink of a major eruption just days after officials confirmed they had detected the start of eruptions over the summer. Measuring devices this morning have picked up a large earthquake swarm, usually a tell-tale sign of a potential volcanic eruption.

The Icelandic Government last month announced it was increasing monitoring Katla, which is one of Europe’s most feared volcanoes, following a consistent and strengthening spike of tremors and quakes. And last week, officials at the Iceland Meteorological Office confirmed a series of smaller eruptions had occurred in July strengthening fears of an imminent, much larger, eruption. Evidence gathered by geophysicists showed the magma had risen to the height of the glacier ice above the volcano causing it to melt. They said the high seismic tremors recorded on July 8 and 9 confirmed Katla had become active and started small eruptions.

Today’s intense swarm of earthquakes started at midnight and dozens of tremors have been recorded – the strongest with a magnitude of 4 at around 3am. The country’s Public Civil Emergency Authority (Almannavarnir) has already confirmed it has increased its monitoring of Katla but are yet to announce an emergency level. It follows news that the country’s Minister for the Environment, Svandís Svavarsdóttir, has now introduced a raft of new measures to evaluate the potential hazard and estimate the corresponding risk and feasible counter-measures to prevent accidents and minimise the economic damage.

Studies indicate that volcanic activity in Iceland rises and falls so that the frequency and size of eruptions in and around the Vatnajökull ice cap varies with time. It is believed that four eruptions, that have taken place in the last fifteen years, are the beginning of an active period, during which major eruptions may be expected every two to seven years.

Data provided by the Icelandic Meteorological Office confirms seismic activity has been increasing in the region in recent years, indicating the entry of magma. According to the report, the Hekla volcano is expected to erupt in the near future and an eruption in Katla is also impending.

Katla, which has not experienced a significant eruption for 93 years, is the second largest volcano on Iceland and its eruption will be felt across Europe.

Last year, the country’s president Ólafur Grímsson warned “the time for Katla to erupt is coming close, Iceland has prepared and it is high time for European governments and airline authorities all over Europe and the world to start planning for the eventual Katla eruption“.

[GCANE]

From Iceland Met Office:

Earthquake activity in Katla volcano October 2011

5.10.2011

Heightened earthquake activity is presently occurring in the Katla volcano, southern Iceland. Earthquakes are taking place within the volcano's caldera, which is covered by the Mýrdalsjökull ice-cap. The current period of unrest began in July 2011, when a short-lived glacial flood burst from Mýrdalsjökull in connection with increased seismicity. Since then, several hundred micro-earthquakes have taken place within the area of the caldera. The enclosed graph shows how the ongoing activity compares to earlier episodes of seismic unrest at Katla in 1999 and 2002-2004.

In the early hours of today, 05 October 2011, an intense swarm of earthquakes was registered in the Katla caldera; the largest of these earthquake had a local magnitude of ~3.7. Most of the ongoing seismicity is sourced at shallow (< 5 km) depths.

There are presently no measurable signs that an eruption of Katla is imminent; however, given the heightened levels of seismicity, the situation might change abruptly. Monitoring teams at IMO are following the ongoing activity closely, and sensor-based networks around the volcano ensure that all seismological, geodetic, and hydrological changes are detected.

Historically, Katla is one of Iceland's most frequently erupting volcanoes. The last eruption to break the ice surface of Mýrdalsjökull occurred in 1918, and it lasted about a month.





http://en.vedur.is/about-imo/news/2011/nr/2360

[GCANE]

Volcano warning: Katla in Iceland set for eruption to dwarf last year's Eyjafjallajokull

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-storie ... -23487045/

A HUGE volcano in Iceland could be about to blow which would turn day into night and cause chaos across Europe.

Scientists have warned that Katla – one of the most feared volcanoes in the world – is on the brink of a major explosion which would dwarf the Eyjafjallajokull eruption last year.

Katla’s magma chamber is 10 times the size of the one at nearby Eyjafjallajokull, which grounded planes because of its ash cloud and cost the European economy £1billion.

Scientists detected a series of small tremors at Katla in July but have recorded more worrying signs in the past few days that pressure is building.

There has been a swarm of minor earthquakes that have now reached a magnitude of four.

An evacuation plan is in place for communities near Katla such as Vik, a small town of 300 people, but many fear they may have less than an hour to escape once the volcano goes up.

Read more: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-storie ... z1akIJbazl

[HurricaneBill]

Katla's 1918 eruption:



Katla as it looks today:

[GCANE]

New swarm has started up and its pretty strong.

[GCANE]

October 27, 2011 – ICELAND – Iceland’s Katla volcano was hit by two swarms of tremors today. The strongest of the first cluster of small harmonic tremors which rattled the glacier was of a 2.9 magnitude. A second, more intense swarm of tremors erupted shortly thereafter; including two 3.0 magnitude tremors- one inside the caldera of the volcano and one erupted on the parameter under the Mýrdalsjökull glacier. Unrest at Katla has been intermittent but almost continuous since April. Geologists are monitoring activity at the volcano closely for any changes which could produce a hazardous flood-threat scenario for people living within the vicinity of the summit. –The Extinction Protocol

http://theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com/

[GCANE]

A magnitude 3.3 earthquake has struck the Katla Volcano, Iceland at a depth of 2 km ( 1.2 miles), the quake hit at 19:58:27 UTC Monday 31st October 2011.