Every donation counts!
September is almost here.
Please Contribute Today!
Posted on 08/23/2014 8:34:53 AM PDT by FlJoePa
Iceland raised its aviation alert to red Saturday as a subglacial eruption began at the restless Bardarbunga volcano, which has been rattled by thousands of earthquakes in the past week, the country's Meteorological Office said.
Seismic data indicated that lava from the volcano was melting ice beneath the Vatnajokull glacier, Iceland's largest, Met Office vulcanologist Melissa Pfeffer said.
She said it was not clear when, or if, the eruption would melt through the ice — which is between 100 to 400 meters (330 to 1,300 feet) thick — and send steam and ash into the air.
The eruption led Iceland to raise its aviation alert level to red, indicating an eruption that could cause "significant emission of ash into the atmosphere." Red is the highest alert warning on a five-point scale.
Aviation authorities declared a no-fly zone around the volcano but did not shut Icelandic airspace.
Pfeffer said scientists were flying over the glacier Saturday to look for changes on its surface. Scientists were also monitoring a hydrological station downstream from the volcano for flooding — a common result of volcanic eruptions in Iceland.
Authorities evacuated several hundred people earlier this week from the highlands north of the Vatnajokull glacier as a precaution. The remote area, 200 miles (320 kilometers) east of Reykjavik, is uninhabited but popular with hikers.
Iceland sits on a volcanic hot spot in the Atlantic's mid-oceanic ridge and eruptions occur frequently, triggered when the Earth's plates move and when magma from deep underground pushes its way to the surface.
A 2010 eruption of Iceland's Eyjafjallajokul volcano produced an ash cloud that caused a week of international aviation chaos, with more than 100,000 flights cancelled. Aviation regulators since have reformed policies about flying through ash, so a new eruption would be unlikely to cause that much disruption.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
Do you have a link? Ought to be interesting for a while!
ahaha I CAN IMAGINE!!!
thanks!
Folks who live in the valleys around Mt. Rainier have to think about that as well.
If we get a big eruption and some cooling, the Warmists will describe it as a temporary abberation and that if not for the volcano, the earth would be much warmer.
It’s -A-Joke....
“Red is the highest alert warning on a five-point scale.”
Or, 5 is the highest alert warning on a five color scale.
I think all warnings should be plaid, to make things perfectly clear.
Kinda like Cowabunga:)
Btw, looked up Cowabunga on Wiki, very interesting history.
Bardabunga is the new Caramba
time until a liberal blames this on fraking ? 3...2...1...
I understand those issues. I just wish that when they start spouting statistical data they get it close and begin to explain the relevance.
I certainly hope that the loss of life is prevented or minimized but we never know the full magnitude of one of these until it gets underway. This one looks bad in a geographic sense.
How much could ocean levels rise from the amount of ice it could melt?
Caused by global warming and fracking no doubt about.
"Tell me about it!"
Extra cold winter. Prep early FRiend.
Not enough to even measure a difference.
I’m scheduled to be in Iceland in September, good timing on Ma Nature’s part. Is this Global Warming?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
