Posts Tagged ‘Quakes’

Air travel normalising again as volcano changes behaviour

Tuesday, May 11th, 2010

eyjafjall2-little2Keflavik International Airport and Reykjavik’s domestic airport both re-opened yesterday afternoon, and ash cloud forecasts show clear skies for the foreseeable future and no further closures predicted for the time being.

The same is true for affected airports in Scotland, Ireland and southern Europe.

Meanwhile RUV reports a series of earthquakes under and around Eyjafjallajokull which could signal changes to the volcanic eruption.

According to geophysicist Steinunn Jakobsdottir, the quakes could be a sign of a new vent about to open. The volcano already has three vents, but only the one on the northernmost edge is still erupting.

Ash fall in the area has been decreasing and is currently very fine but large rocks have replaced the ash production, apparently caused by the earthquakes. The rocks are being shot high up into the air and crashing down onto the glacier, making holes in the ice. The size and weight of the rocks means that they are a very localised problem and only fall very near to the volcano.

Large earthquake hits Iceland volcano site

Tuesday, April 6th, 2010

Earthquakes-Myrdalsjokull-06-04-10-SAn earthquake measuring 3.7 on the Richter Scale shook the area of the erupting volcano next to the Eyjafjallajokull ice cap in South Iceland this afternoon.

The earthquake is the strongest to hit the area since seismic activity began to build at the volcano at the beginning of March.

Steinunn Jakobsdottir, an Icelandic Meteorological Office geologist told mbl.is that only very few of the regular quakes in the area since the beginning of last month have measured above 3 on the Richter Scale. Jakobsdottir added that it is not yet known if this afternoon’s quake is an important development or if it should be considered as a large but normal earth movement. The quake has not had any immediate effect on the erupting volcano – neither has it had an immediate impact on the nearby dormant Katla volcano.

Earthquakes in Eyjafjallajökull. Volcano Video

Thursday, April 1st, 2010

A few earthquakes were detected in the eastern part of Eyjafjallajökull between three and four o’clock. The quakes were not very big, the biggest just below 3 on the Richter scale.

South Iceland Earthquakes Decrease in Strength

Thursday, March 11th, 2010

The seismic activity around Eyjafjallajökull glacier in south Iceland, which is on top of an active volcano, remains stable but the earthquakes have decreased in strength. Around 300 smaller quakes were measured in the area last night.

Earthquakes in Iceland

Saturday, May 30th, 2009

imagesc3a6Iceland’s south western Reykjanes Peninsula has been experiencing a huge amount of seismic activity in recent days.

438 earthquakes have occurred in the region in the last 48 hours alone. The biggest quakes happened at 21.33 last night and at 13.35 today. Last night’s quake measured 4.9 on the Richter scale, and today’s 4.5.

Both were centred near the town of Grindavik and were clearly felt by residents in the capital, Reykjavik. The famous Blue Lagoon spa is also very near the epicentre and guests felt the full force of today’s quake, but were not asked to leave the complex. The Blue Lagoon was already closed by the time last night’s tremor took place.

No damage or injury has been reported anywhere and the quakes were much smaller than last June’s 6.3 tremor, which also killed no one.