Geobulletin alpha

News from the Geoblogosphere

New from Snet: Lithologs, a new tool to create lithological/sedimentological logs online..

Blog post recommendation

ERUPTION In Iceland! Fagradalsfjall ERUPTS

About 1 hour ago, Mount Fagradalsfjall erupted. Some webcams are able to see the eruption including this one. Color video (not the best shot) can be seen here. A camera from RUV.is is here.

Suspected location of the new fissure from MBL.is

A massive glow can be seen above the mountain, in the area that was predicted to be the most likely spot for an eruption to occur.

Video taken from Iceland Coast Guard

Screengrab from the IPCAMLIVE

Image from Icelandic Coast Guard chopper aerial flight.

A helicopter is apparently flying around as can be currently seen in webcam video.
While it is nighttime, it is impossible to see how high the lava fountaining is at the moment.
The Iceland MET Office has confirmed the eruption.
As stated in a previous post, it is not uncommon for quakes to stop, or slow once an eruption is imminent, and that was the case here. Seismicity dropped to lower levels with very few large quakes. Some scientists believed that an eruption would not occur. Others are theorizing that this may be a new phase for the entire peninsula. Seismicity is still quite low, even with lava now escaping to the surface.
Current seismicity remains lower than the last several weeks.

It is not known how long this eruption may last for, or where the new lava flow models predict that lava will go. We will likely know more once the sun rises in Iceland and more coverage begins.
There are a few possibilities: - The eruption is short-lived, lasting only hours to days - The eruption gains a steady, deep supply of magma and erupts for weeks, months, or years - The eruption occurs in phases, in fits and starts, until ceasing altogether
As magma is theorized to still be coming into the dyke system, this eruption will likely at least last for a week or two, although it is anyone's guess at this point.
I will update this post separately from my previous post on the quake swarm, as an eruption is now underway, however if you'd like to refer to the lead-up to the eruption, you can see my previous coverage here.

Stratigraphy.net | Impressum

Ads: