Katla Volcano EarthQuakes – Flooding – Sulfur Smell
July 17, 2011, Submitted by: Ken Tweet
The Katla volcano in Iceland is making itself known once again. Been following this one for a while. It has a nasty history of blowing its top between 6 months and 1.5 years after it’s volcanic sister neighbor, Eyjafjallojokull, which erupted back during April 2010.
A geologist ‘insider’ tells me that harmonic tremors have started in Katla again. As of today there have been 2 earthquake swarms, making that 3 since June.
In addition, and more immediately tangible, the Myrdalsjokull glacier flood has just been reported (Katla is underneath this glacier). Last time this type of event did happen was in the year 1955, when a minor eruption is believed to have taken place under the glacier. There is no immediate proof that this is the case right now. This might just be hydrothermal water being released because of increased activity in hydrothermal areas that are in the glacier.
Following the flood there is a strong smell of sulfur and there might be dangerous gases in it. At the current time the flood appears to be growing and according to the news the bridge was still safe. But there was just 1 meter from the river up to the floor of the bridge.
Stay tuned, as this one ‘could’ disrupt Europe for awhile if she blows.
Update: July 9
The bridge over Múlakvísk river is gone, they are now evacuating Áftaver due to second flood. It is now very dangerous to be close to Múlakvísl due to poisons gases and risk of the flood increasing without any warning. A third glacier flood has now also started in Skálmu, but that is also a glacier river that flows from Mýrdalsjökull glacier. This does not seems to be just hydrothermal areas emptying. This could be a repeat of the 1955, 1999 floods when there were very minor eruptions.
We do not know what the events are leading to an eruption but historical records show this event has been a precursor to an eruption in the past, hence its folklore. A 2.2m quake has just happened in the caldera at 1.1km. Harmonic tremors are decreasing again but have been ongoing during the last 10 hours. GPS data shows inflation and deflation, very interesting.
Update: July 9
Harmonic tremors stopping again but has been on and off all the time. Reports coming in that sulfur is still very strong and is very dangerous to persons and livestock.
Quakes have ceased,for now, also a decrease in the harmonic tremors. Three cauldrons have formed in Mýrdalsjökull glacier and large cracks have formed around them. The Múlakvísl flood came from underneath the glacial tongue Höfdabrekkujökull. The glacial ice is considerably cracked where the flood emerged. Glacial ice is stranded in a large area which indicates that the flood is coming to an end.
While there are NO indications that a major volcanic eruption has started, or even about to in Katla, it cannot be ruled out that a minor eruption could have happened last night.
Icelandic TV Video of Myrdalsjokull-Katla Flood
Update: July 9
Harmonic tremors have just started again along with 7 more quakes.
3rd quake storm (today) now ongoing. Harmonic tremors now rising again.
Update, July 11
Action has subsided. Here are photos of the damage at the Myrdalsjokull glacier with Katla underneath.
Update, July 18
Katla has belted off a storm of what appears to be dozens of earthquakes today, within minutes, with one nearly a magnitude 4. This volcano, which has always erupted between 6 months and 1.5 years after Eyjafjallajokull (it’s neighbor), is ripe within the window of eruption based on its known history. Something is happening beneath the glacier today.
Also, a very interesting area of 3 quakes developed around the same time to the south of Katla, along the coast of Iceland. No known volcano is there either. Interesting…
Update, July 20
4 NEW cauldrons have appeared on the Mýrdalsjökull glacier and the cauldrons that formed on the 8 and 9th July have also deepened. This is due to magma pushing closer to the surface and heating the crust.This then melts the glacier ice and the water seeps into the rock creating a hydrothermal vent that increases the melt and forms a cauldron ( depression in the ice). This will increase the likely hood of another glacier flood to the south east of the Mýrdalsjökull glacier.
This does NOT mean it is about to erupt but the increase of such activity can only mean an eruption event is likely in the near future. On the 17th of July a earthquake storm happened with the largest quake being 3.8 magnitude. If Katla was bursting to erupt this could have triggered a larger quake storm and an eruption.
The next 6 weeks could be very interesting indeed.
Update, July 21
From our geological expert:
There appears to be 3 areas of activity. Inside the caldera itself, Goðabunga to the west we know is a hydrothermal vent, but to the south is something new. We noticed it starting 3 weeks ago and seems to be increasing in magnitude and frequency. Now this could be an extension of the East Fracture Zone growing due to Katla inflation of a weak spot in the crust that could develop into another hydrothermal vent, or even allow magma to breach the surface. Worth watching anyway.
Hydrothermal activity inside the caldera continues and the occasional spill (minor flooding) has occurred but this is what we would expect. Inflation is now evident to the east and south east but not rapid. Harmonic tremors have stopped again but they are small and infrequent at present. I MUST stress that this time of year the amount of earthquakes DOES increase, on the ice shelves, as the ice melts. That said Katla has not been this active probably since its last eruption in 1918.
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Add Iceland volcano Hekla to the list of possible eruptions. Hekla means Gateway to Hell, and there is an article about it on the web site http://www.dailyindia.com/show/449555.php. They say it can produce 4 times what was produced in May. I also visited the Icelandic Meteorological Office at http://hraun.vedur.is/ja/englishweb/ and they have an updated map of the earthquakes related to volcano activity and maps you can zoom into for differnt regions of the country. Iceland is really becoming active.
The Katla gets it’s name from a witch that, according to legend, owned a pair of trousers that would let her run without getting tired. If a sheep was still in the mountains, the villagers would ask Katla to get it. She would pot on the trousers and ran for days to find the sheep. One day a villager put on the trousers and ran into the mountains to find a sheep. Katla got so angry that she drowned Bardi in a barrel of water. When the end of winter approached Katla heard a voice saying that the ghost of Bardi would soon appear. When the ghost actually appeared, she put on the trousers and ran up the volcano. She threw herself into a gorge and made the volcano erupt. The eruption caused a big flood in which several villages were lost. The destruction can still be seen in the Mýrdalssandur, a large barren plain of pebbles. Before the Hringvegur (Iceland’s Ring Road) was constructed in 1974, people still feared traversing the plains in front of the volcano because of the frequent jökulhlaup (or glacier burst) and the deep
river crossings.
So in a nutshell Katla has a history of doing this. What is unknown is the number of times an eruption has occurred after. Local residents and agency`s are well rehearsed in sudden jökulhlaups (glacier-outburst/flood). This probably is the one place that could give ken advice on survival! If you are not a Icelandic resident then be sure Ken has advice for you and it Does make sense to be prepared. People may think you odd but who they gunna call when it hits the fan?..no not Ghostbusters!
So…Is there going to be a main eruption?
Im on a limb here as there are no records on trigger event…but id say no!
Every volcano in the world has different trigger events bar 1…………magma increase into chamber increases pressure and heat. The combination causes surrounding rock to melt and release gas. Gas increases pressure and boom………..except Iceland! Pressure can shift and COULD cause a fissure eruption where the crust is weaker. But if quake storms continue then all bets are off. How can you predict an event that has not happened in our lifetime? Hekla is also showing much unrest but biggest danger would be its Fluorine output not ash.(Laki 1783)
Whatever happens be sure Ken has advice for you (as well as the wife!)
PT
Katla and to a lesser degree Hekla have a history of suddenly erupting. Katla produces very high eruption plumes. Depending on the amount of the plume this would cause another disruption in the European airspace.
A very large eruption VEI 5 or greater will cause a bit of weather grief in the Northern hemisphere for a year or so.
A large Volcanic eruption, cold P.D.O. phase coupled with a solar downturn are Meteorologist Joe Bastardi’s big three mini ice-age triggers.
As PT has pointed out it’s the continuous Fluorine emissions that cause a lot of damage.
What fantastic pictures. The Katla volcano below looks like a monster ready to break from from its iced tomb. I wonder if the glacier is actually acting like a temporary plug. I bet Europe is watching this very closely.
New harmonic tremor detected and new flood but not from Katla.
http://www.jonfr.com/volcano/?p=1190