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97872
From: ao, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Scientists Forecast End to Geological Unrest Near Grindavík
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Two geoscientists have predicted a need for increased magma accumulation beneath Svartsengi on the Reykjanes Peninsula to trigger a new intrusion. Utilising Icelandic Meteorological Office data, their analysis suggests that the current geological unrest near the town of Grindavík will conclude between July 1 and August 15. Past predictions proved accurate According to a recent forecast by two geoscientists, a greater volume of magma is now required to accumulate beneath the Svartsengi area on the Reykjanes Peninsula than before to initiate a new magma intrusion. The experts, volcanologist Haraldur Sigurđsson and geophysicist Grímur Björnsson, have observed a deceleration in magma accumulation and anticipate that the geological disturbances near the town of Grindavík will subside by late summer. “Earthquakes, magma intrusions, and eruptions have plagued the residents of Grindavík since November 10, 2023, to this day,” the two scientists wrote on Haraldur Sigurđsson’s online blog. “When will these disasters end? When can residents return home and the fisheries resume operations in one of Iceland’s largest fishing ports? We believe that scientific data now available allow us to estimate when the movements of magma and eruptions in the Sundhnúkur crater row will cease.” On the Channel 2 nightly news yesterday, reporter Kristján Már Unnarsson delved into these prognostications. “They predict that the disturbances near Grindavík will conclude by late summer, that is, in four to five months. It’s worth recalling that during the Holuhraun eruption, which began at the end of August 2014, Haraldur boldly predicted that the eruption would end by the end of February or the beginning of March. He could hardly have been more precise, as the end of the eruption was declared on February 28. Therefore, there is reason to listen to him,” Kristján observed. Forecast based on data from the Icelandic MET office Kristján detailed how Haraldur and Grímur derive their forecasts from data provided by the Icelandic Meteorological Office. This includes a chart documenting five significant geological events since November, encompassing three eruptions and two magma intrusions that failed to culminate in eruptions. Utilising this data, the two experts have developed their own analytical chart to project when the current geological unrest will conclude.  “It shows how the magma inflow under Svartsengi has been gradually slowing. In the tremors in November, when everything was shaking, the magma inflow measured over 700,000 cubic metres per day. Since then, the inflow has steadily decreased,” Kristján commented.  Kristján explained that the scientists believe this magma inflow follows a linear trend. Based on this trend, the two scientists predict that this geological unrest will conclude sometime between July 1 and August 15. |
97873
From: Earthstone, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Opened up a few minutes ago...
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Starts at about 20.22 on the webcam clocks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=804nPrAUAxg |
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[97877]
97877
From: ryan, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: Opened up a few minutes ago...
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A volcano in Iceland is erupting for the fourth time in 3 months, sending plumes of lava skywards Updated March 16, 2024 6:23 p.m. Spectators watch plumes of smoke from volcanic activity between Hagafell and Stóri-Skógfell, Iceland, Saturday, March 16, 2024.Marco di Marco/AP GRINDAVIK, Iceland (AP) — A volcano in Iceland erupted Saturday evening for the fourth time in three months, sending orange jets of lava into the night sky. Iceland’s Meteorological Office said the eruption opened a fissure in the earth about 3 kilometers (almost 2 miles) long between Stóra-Skógfell and Hagafell mountains on the Reykjanes Peninsula. The Met Office had warned for weeks that magma — semi-molten rock — was accumulating under the ground, making an eruption likely. Hundreds of people were evacuated from the Blue Lagoon thermal spa, one of Iceland’s top tourist attractions, when the eruption began, national broadcaster RUV said. No flight disruptions were reported at nearby Keflavik, Iceland’s main airport. The eruption site is a few kilometers (miles) northeast of Grindavik, a coastal town of 3,800 people about 50 kilometers (30 miles) southwest of Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik, that was evacuated before the initial eruption in December. A few residents who had returned to their homes were evacuated again Saturday. Grindavik was evacuated in November when the Svartsengi volcanic system awakened after almost 800 years with a series of earthquakes that opened large cracks in the ground north of the town. The volcano eventually erupted on Dec. 18, sending lava flowing away from Grindavik. A second eruption that began on Jan. 14 sent lava toward the town. Defensive walls that had been bolstered after the first eruption stopped some of the flow, but several buildings were consumed by the lava. Both eruptions lasted only a matter of days. A third eruption began Feb. 8. It petered out within hours, but not before a river of lava engulfed a pipeline, cutting off heat and hot water to thousands of people. RUV quoted geophysicist Magnús Tumi Guđmundsson as saying that the latest eruption is the most powerful so far. The Met Office said some of the lava was flowing towards the defensive barriers around Grindavik. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Iceland, which sits above a volcanic hot spot in the North Atlantic, sees regular eruptions and is highly experienced at dealing with them. The most disruptive in recent times was the 2010 eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano, which spewed huge clouds of ash into the atmosphere and led to widespread airspace closures over Europe. No confirmed deaths have been reported from any of the recent eruptions, but a workman was declared missing after falling into a fissure opened by the volcano. |
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