eruption
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BREAKING: Eruption Now Very Likely On The Way
New data being reviewed by scientists in Iceland now show strong signs that a volcanic eruption may be on the way, RÚV reports. As it stands now, there are signs of restlessness just south of Keilir that are usually indicative of a…
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Earthquake Roundup: Most Likely That Quakes Stop Without Eruption
While Iceland’s current earthquake swarm may lead to an eruption, all available data shows it much more likely that the earthquakes will eventually end without magma reaching the surface, Vísir reports. Scientists are nonetheless exploring possible scenarios for what might happen if…
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Earthquake Roundup: New Data Raises Concerns Of Eruption, Swarms Continue
New satellite imagery indicates that the ongoing cluster of earthquakes which Iceland has been experiencing could be attributed, in part, to magma movement under the areas where the quakes have been strongest, Vísir reports. While this does not mean an eruption is…
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RVK Newscast #78: More Than 10,000 Earthquakes Over The Last Days
Iceland—or its capital area to be more precise—is currently being hit by large earthquakes several times a day. Scientists fear a volcanic eruption at Reykjanes, but there seems to be no sign of one just yet. Also, scientists are seriously worried that…
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RVK Newscast #77: Big Earthquakes In Grindavík, The Happiest Town In Iceland
Today, the Reykjavík Grapevine Newscast visited the happiest town in Iceland, Grindavík. This morning, there was an unusual amount of seismic activity around the country with a chance of an eruption from an ancient volcano that hasn’t erupted for almost 1,000 years.…
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8,000 Tremors In Reykjanes Since January
Some 8,000 tremors have been measured on the Reykjanes peninsula since January, the Icelandic Met Office reports. While the vast majority of these have been relatively small, it is very likely that there is now a new magma intrusion in the area.…
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Change Of Evacuation Plan For Öræfajökull Volcano Needed, Volcanology Professor Says
Þorvaldur Þórðarson, a professor of volcanology at the University of Iceland, told RÚV that the time has come to revise our evacuation plans for Öræfajökull, an historically destructive volcano. Öræfajökull has also erupted before, to devastating effect. Twice, in fact: in 1362…
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Iceland Possibly To Blame For “Worst Year To Be Alive” In World History
Long before anyone was even living in Iceland, the country may have been responsible for a massive global crop failure in 536 CE, also dubbed “the worst year to be alive”, at least by Science anyway. Historians have been aware for a…
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Magma Possibly Growing Under Öræfajökull
There are strong indications that magma is gathering in the volcano under the Öræfajökull glacier, which may be a sign that an eruption will happen soon, but eruptions are notoriously difficult to predict. RÚV reports that there have been numerous tremors at…
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Oh Yeah! 100 Years Ago Today, Iceland’s Katla Erupted
It’s time to celebrate. To be fair, it’s always time to celebrate. But today it’s time to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the last major eruption of Iceland’s beloved Katla, a volcano in the south that somehow always manages to make it…
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No, Katla Is Not About To Erupt
Despite what you may have seen in the more lurid headlines circulating, Katla, one of Iceland’s most famous volcanoes, is not giving any indications that it is about to erupt. Although many news outlets have been guilty of exaggerated reporting of Katla’s…
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Öræfajökull Volcano: Will It Or Won’t It Erupt?
Speculation has been swirling about the glacier-covered volcano in southeast Iceland, but the activity of volcanoes is notoriously difficult to predict. Seismic and geological measurements can provide indications, but never an exact timeframe for an eruption. Geophysicist Magnús Tumi Guðmundsson provided some…
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The Öræfajökull Volcano: What It Is, And What’s Going On
As scientists in Iceland follow activity at Öræfajökull, learning from Icelandic history may give us clues as to what may happen should the volcano erupt. A new post from volcanologists at the University of Iceland shows satellite images taken of Öræfajökull, a…
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“Greater Than Usual” Chance Of Katla Eruption
Recent activity at the site of the volcano now indicates a greater chance that it will erupt, but for now there is no reason to panic. MBL reports that a meeting of the science council of the Department of Civil Protection and…
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Quake Recorded Near Katla This Morning
A tremor measuring 3.5 on the Richter scale was recorded just west of the Katla volcano early this morning, RÚV reports. This was followed by several small aftershocks. Katla has seen an uptick of tremors since last autumn, although they have been…
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All Calm And Quiet At Katla
Despite the contentions of more lurid reporting on Katla over the past few days, the volcano is not about to erupt, and has in fact been fairly quiet last weekend. Natural hazards expert Sigurdís Björg Jónasdóttir told RÚV that the volcano has…
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Katla Teases Us Once Again
Tremors were recorded just south of the volcano Katla yesterday, but it remains decidedly unclear if an eruption is imminent. Vísir reports that the tremor measured 3.9 on the Richter scale, making it not an insignificant quake, but also not a definitive…
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Completely Normal Tremors Recorded Around Katla
A series of tremors were recorded around the volcano Katla yesterday, none of them giving any indications that an eruption is imminent. RÚV reports that two quakes were recorded very close to Katla; the first, in the early evening and measuring 2.7…
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Iceland’s Top 5 Volcanoes: Hot Or Not?
With the recent news that seismic activity was recorded around the volcano Katla, international media sources were quick to declare that a massive eruption was set to go off in Iceland any day now. While the truth is more complicated than that…
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Don’t Ask Nanna: About The Katla Volcano
Dear Nanna, So, is Katla gonna blow? Vulcan Hey Vulcan, Let’s just say, in my professional opinion as a bad advice columnist, that the Katla volcano will definitely erupt, unleashing upon the world a tide of molten lava so violent it induces a…
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Katla: “Overdue” For Eruption, But Not Showing Imminent Signs
Although the volcano Katla is considerably overdue for a major eruption, the current seismic activity around it does not yet indicate an eruption is imminent, a professor of geology says. As reported, two large earthquakes and a series of small aftershocks were…
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Series Of Large Quakes Recorded Around Katla
A series of large earthquakes were reported early this morning north of the volcano Katla, but there are as yet no indications that an eruption is imminent. Vísir reports that two tremors measuring 4.5 and 4.6 on the Richter scale were recorded…
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Ashes To Ashes: The Westman Islands Volcano Museum
The Volcano On the night of January 23, 1973 the inhabitants of Heimaey in the Westman Islands were woken by a violent volcanic eruption. With little warning, lava shot up to 150 metres into the air. The islanders rushed to gather whatever…