Posted on 03/20/2010 6:24:33 PM PDT by Leifur
Breaking News: A volcano just erupted in southern part of Iceland, under the glacier Eyjafjallajökull. They are starting to clear farms in the lowlands below the glacier, and ash has started to fall in the area. There has not been though much earth tremors following this.
Farmers in the area are seeing fire in the glacier and the stench is reportedly very strong. These are the most affected areas, the red is in most danger of beeing flooded with toxic water at high speed:
http://mbl.is/frimg/5/25/525555.jpg
The greatest danger following this is that the volcanic eruption will melt the glacier and a huge amount of melted glacier water will flood down the floodplaines, and the grown lands in the Southern flat lands of the country below the clacier. Some farmers have just under an hour to abandon their farms and get to safety.
Most farms are though on small hilltops, so depending on how great the eruption is, and where the meltwater will mostly flow, the devastation can be all from mostly grown land and roads to severe economic damage at a hight of an extended financial crisis extended by a impotent government and blackmailing from the EU nations especially the UK and the Netherlands.
Information from the wikipedia site:
"Eyjafjallajökull [glacier] is one of the smaller glaciers of Iceland. It is situated to the north of Skógar and to the west of the larger glacier Mýrdalsjökull.
The last eruption was from 1821 to 1823, causing a fatal glacier run. The crater of the volcano has a diameter of 3–4 km and the glacier covers an area of about 100 km². The south end of the mountain was once part of the Atlantic coastline. As the sea has since retreated some 5 km, the former coastline has left behind sheer cliffs with a multitude of beautiful waterfalls, the best known of them being Skógafoss.
In strong winds, the water of the smaller falls can even be blown up the mountain. Between 3rd and 5th of March 2010 there were measured close to 3000 earthquakes at the epicenter of the volcano. Most were very small but some could be detected in the nearby towns.[1]
These tremors were thought to be maybe a precurser of an eruption, that now is coming to fruition.
WOW. THX.
Amazing part about the pic is there is still a lot of ice on the hill. I would have thought most of the ground around the fissure would have warmed up even in a small eruption.
http://666kb.com/i/bhkpkc33pf8skxjxg.gif
http://leucos.lstilde.org/divers/iceland/eq/data/geo_vs_depths_2010.png
If you note on this gentleman's 3-D imaging, the fissure broke through at the north side of the location of the second swarm. There is still the main area of earthquakes that is to the south and to that area's left(under the glacier) that is still experiencing some quaking.
Moderate earthquake 3.4 under Vatnajokull. Possible swarm building. Iceland’s largest Glacier volcano system.
http://en.vedur.is/earthquakes-and-volcanism/earthquakes/vatnajokull/#view=table
“How the Earth Was Made” aired a episode about Iceland and the unique volcanoes. Very cool and frighting.
Youtube links for 5 parts in HD.
Iceland 1 of 5 HD - How The Earth Was Made
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFTTx98Dcgs
Iceland 2 of 5 HD - How The Earth Was Made
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmCXKq9yAsA
Iceland 3 of 5 HD - How The Earth Was Made
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hX4wIc8wH-Q
Iceland 4 of 5 HD - How The Earth Was Mad
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTTvRvRIjt0
Iceland 5 of 5 HD - How The Earth Was Made
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8E4rtPiF_Q
Likely so.
Thx.
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I bought some extra tuna tonight just in case we have another year without a summer.
Wow, that’s a lotta tuna.
In 1783 Iceland had a major continuous eruption at the Laki fissure. Magma was shooting up as high as 200 feet along a 25 mile fissure. Much fluorine gas was emitted. It killed 90% of the livestock through ruining pasturage with abrasives and poison. About 10,000 people also died. Benjamin Franklin noticed the cooling and blue atmosphere in Europe at the time and suspected it was caused by something in Iceland. Destruction of crops in Europe may have helped increase hunger and trigger the French Revolution. Let us hope this volcano does not get too bad.
That would be on heck of a Black Swan Event.
We'd have a nationwide (worldwide) problem like hurricane Katrina was in New Orleans. Is it even practical for the government to try to have food stocks in storage for such an event?
Very interesting facts.
I wish Ben Franklin was still around to slap down Al Gore.
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