Iceland volcano spews more lava, but no ash

[Buster's Uncle]

Iceland volcano spews more lava, but no ash
Reuters
1 hour ago



Lava fountains are pictured at the site of a fissure eruption near Iceland's Bardarbunga volcano September 2, 2014. REUTERS/Armann Hoskuldsson



REYKJAVIK/STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Iceland's Bardarbunga volcano poured out more lava on Wednesday but no ash was emerging from the eruption, authorities said.

The ash warning for aviation stood at orange, the second-highest level on a five-color scale indicating a risk of ash that could hinder air traffic, after a brief rise to the top level of red on Sunday when lava fountains rose 50 meters high.

In 2010, an ash cloud from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano, in a different region of Iceland, closed much of Europe's air space for six days after an eruption under the icecap.

"The eruption is still going on at the same pace as before," said Einar Heinarsson, a spokesman at Iceland's department of civil protection. "It has been continuous."

He said lava emerging from a fissure near the volcano had covered an area of about 6.2 square kilometers and was moving northeast towards a river where geoscientists expected some minor gas explosions.

Seismic activity in the area had not diminished and remained stable, he added.

If the fissure that the lava is flowing from closes, there is a possibility that new ones might open up, possibly closer to the Vatnajokull glacier, said Kristin Jonsdottir, a geophysicist at the Meteorological Office.

"Therefore, an eruption at Bardarbunga, beneath the glacier, cannot be ruled out," she said.

(Reporting by Robert Robertsson and Mia Shanley; Editing by Tom Heneghan)


http://news.yahoo.com/iceland-volcano-spews-more-lava-no-ash-103631213.html

[Buster's Uncle]

Iceland Volcano Sparks New Flooding Threat
LiveScience.com
By Becky Oskin, Senior Writer  51 minutes ago



Iceland's fiery Holuhraun eruption may soon tunnel under a nearby glacier, triggering an explosive showdown between lava and ice, according to scientists monitoring the volcanic turmoil.

To make space for the fresh magma feeding the eruption, rock underneath nearby Dyngjujokull glacier has cracked, forming a long depression called a rift valley. The valley extends about a half-mile (1 kilometer) in front of the glacier and 1.2 miles (2 km) beneath the ice, the Icelandic Met Office said in a statement.

If the spouting lava migrates south into the rift valley, the melting could unleash a mighty flood called a jokulhlaup. The lava-ice interaction may also generate the eruption's first ash clouds.

Officials are also watching for new activity elsewhere in the lava field. GPS measurements suggest more magma is surging into the area than is being erupted. A flurry of small earthquakes sent scientists scurrying to safety today (Sept. 3), rather than risk being caught in a new eruption.

The surface eruption started Aug. 28, when lava spewed from a long fissure in the 200-year-old Holuhraun lava field between Bardarbunga volcano and Askja volcano.

The basalt lava now covers 2.8 square miles (7.2 square km) and is emerging at about 3,530 cubic feet per second (100 cubic meters per second), the Met Office said. The flow has a smooth, ropy surface, known as pahoehoe. A cloud of sulfuric gas is streaming from the fissure, forcing people nearby to wear gas masks for safety.

The volcanic activity kicked off Aug. 16, when thousands of small earthquakes underneath the Bardarbunga volcano warned Icelanders that an eruption was brewing. But the molten rock turned to the northeast, digging a long channel called a dike. This narrow magma intrusion surfaced near the toe of Dyngjujokull glacier, between Bardarbunga volcano and Askja volcano.


http://news.yahoo.com/iceland-volcano-sparks-flooding-threat-222939332.html