Civil protection authorities in Vík, south Iceland, have decided to launch a cleaning initiative in the village this weekend. The municipality has been subject to heavy ash fall lately and the goal is to clean every home within its borders.
Posts Tagged ‘South Iceland’
Iceland Volcano Blows at Full Force, Endangers Sheep
Friday, May 14th, 2010
There was significant force in the eruption in Eyjafjallajökull glacier yesterday and the volcanic cloud reached a height of nine kilometers, which is considerably higher than on Wednesday. Meanwhile, sheep in south Iceland must be kept inside due to ash fall. Living in tight quarters for a long time compromises the animals’ health.
Volcanic ash falls on Reykjavik, citizens fail to notice
Friday, May 14th, 2010
Ash from the Eyjafjallajokull volcanic eruption is now falling on Reykjavik, Iceland’s capital city – including on the Icelandic Met Office. City life is unaffected and people are checking their computer screens and televisions more than the sky.
After massive amounts of ash fall near the volcano last night, during which several families decided to evacuate, the ash moved and started falling on Fljotshlid in much greater quantities than previously. A wide portion of South Iceland was also affected, including the towns of Hella and Hvolsvollur. The ash has now reached Reykjavik.
The effects of the ash in the city are minimal and people are reading about it on news websites but not noticing anything unusual when outside. “This is the first I have heard about it so I guess it can´t be that bad,” IceNews’s Russell Harmon said upon returning to the office.
As well as a greater spread, the ash cloud is also reaching higher into the atmosphere – currently up to nine kilometres – which will continue to affect aviation. All domestic flights have been cancelled until further notice and there are delays and alterations to international flights. Passengers are advised to contact their airline.
Iceland volcanic ash travels higher
Friday, May 14th, 2010
Volcanic activity at the Eyjafjallajokull eruption in Iceland remains stable, but the gas and ash cloud is higher today than yesterday. The Icelandic Met Office says there are still no signs the eruption is coming to an end.
Four small earthquakes shook the glacier yesterday afternoon, but they did not appear to change the intensity of the volcano.
The volcanic cloud is reaching a height of 6km, which is less than the 9kn height it reached at its peak. “Very gentle winds are over the volcano and there is unstable air flow south of Iceland. These two factors affect the height of the volcanic cloud,” a Met Office spokesman explained.
Ash fall is currently restricted to areas near the volcano in South Iceland but the amount of ash falling suddenly increased last night and police in South Iceland say that the ash fall has not been as great since the volcano’s first days. Visibility was reduced to just two metres in some places.
Photographer: Anders Peter Amsnæs / www.imagix.dk
Volcanic Activity in Iceland Comes in Waves
Tuesday, May 11th, 2010
The activity in the volcano underneath the Eyjafjallajökull icecap in south Iceland fluctuates but there are no indications that the eruption is winding down. Yesterday a series of earthquakes were detected underneath the icecap which indicates that magma is still being thrust out of the mantle.
In Anticipation of the Reykjav k Arts Festival: Pick of the Picks
Monday, May 10th, 2010There was no ash fall in Vik in south Iceland last night and into this morning and air pollution is now below the danger limit.
Ash Fall Subsides in South Iceland Village
Monday, May 10th, 2010
There was no ash fall in Vík in south Iceland last night and into this morning and air pollution is now below the danger limit. However, the local elementary school and kindergarten will remain closed today while the facilities are cleaned.
South Iceland football team celebrating under volcano’s gaze
Sunday, May 9th, 2010
The icelandic VISA Cup got fired up yesterday as KFR from Hvolsvollur played against Arborg only 30 kilometres away from the fiery volcano of Eyjafjallajokull.
KFR at their home ground were as powerful as the volcano and steamrolled Arborg’s defence and ended up scoring five goals against only three and are therefore through to the next round.
KFR is a 3rd division club in Iceland and will play seven home games this summer at Hvolsvollur under the constant threat of ash falling into the ground. If the winds change from westerly to easterly, it can literally prove a game-changer. It seems like great luck that the only few days the winds were blowing from the east the volcano slowed down enough so almost no ash has fallen on their home ground.
Hopefully their luck won’t change in the cup or with the winds
Article sent by Vésteinn Gauti Hauksson, KFR aficionado
Photo: Þorsteinn
Ash Cleaners Take a Break Due to New Ash Fall
Saturday, May 8th, 2010
Volunteers have been keen on assisting farmers in south Iceland with ash removal since the eruption in Eyjafjallajökull began. However, as ash fall in the area has resumed, there is not much they can do at the moment.
Iceland arrests another Kaupthing boss
Friday, May 7th, 2010
Magnus Gudmundsson, the former head of Kaupthing Bank in Luxembourg and the current head of Banque Havilland, has also been arrested in connection to the Icelandic Special Prosecutor’s investigation into the banking collapse.
Former Kaupthing CEO Hreidar Mar Sigurdsson was also arrested yesterday.
Magnus Gudmundsson worked for Kaupthing for many years and was a close friend and ally of Hreidar Mar Sigurdsson and former Chair of the Board, Sugurdur Einarsson.
According to Visir.is, both South Iceland prisons are full, meaning that the Kaupthing pair were held at a police station overnight, pending their bail hearing today.
Ash Fall Closes Schools in South Iceland
Friday, May 7th, 2010
South Iceland has been subject to extensive ash fall because of the volcanic eruption in Eyjafjallajökull glacier since last night and schools have therefore been canceled in Vík today.
Iceland volcano entering new phase
Thursday, May 6th, 2010
The gas cloud from South Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull volcanic eruption reached a height of ten kilometres yesterday evening before settling back to six kilometres. Gunnar Gudjonsson at the Icelandic Meteorological Office told Visir.is that the volcano is producing large amounts of ash again and the cloud is darker than in previous days.
The wind is mostly blowing the ash southeast, which could have an effect on aviation in Ireland, Wales and western England, Gudjonsson says. Over a dozen small earthquakes were registered at the volcano yesterday, but they stopped around 02.00 and none was over 2 on the Richter Scale.
Gudjonsson said that the volcano appears to be entering a new phase, saying that volcanic activity seems to have reduced with a shift back from lava to more ash production. This does not, however, mean that the eruption is coming to an end just yet.
Photographer: Anders Peter Amsnæs / www.imagix.dk
Current eruption in Iceland causes drop of tourists
Thursday, May 6th, 2010The current volcanic eruption in South Iceland caused a 17 percent drop in arrivals to the country through Keflavik International Airport in April, according to reports from Reykjavik on Thursday.
Iceland Eruption Continues to Disrupt Flights in Ireland
Wednesday, May 5th, 2010
Aviation authorities in Ireland have placed a ban on flights to and from Dublin and most other airports in the country as of 11 am local time today because of the ash cloud from the eruption in Eyjafjallajökull glacier in south Iceland.
Spatter Cone Rises at Iceland Volcano
Friday, April 30th, 2010A spatter cone continues to grow in the northernmost crater in Eyjafjallajökull glacier in south Iceland and the lava keeps flowing to the north towards the Gígjökull glacial tongue, according to information from Björn Oddsson, a geologist at the University of Iceland Institute of Earth Science, who flew over the eruption site in a Coast Guard airplane yesterday.
Many Volunteers Help Clean Ash in South Iceland
Friday, April 30th, 2010
This weekend, at least 100 people have volunteered to help clean ash from farms and other inhabited areas below the Eyjafjöll mountain range that were subject to the most extensive ash fall from the volcano in Eyjafjallajökull glacier.
Newborn Calf Named after Iceland Eruption
Thursday, April 29th, 2010
There was a lot going on when the calf Gosi was born on the farm Núpur below the Eyjafjöll mountain range in south Iceland on April 14, the day that the volcanic eruption began in Eyjafjallajökull glacier. It was named Gosi, after the eruption (from gos, the Icelandic word for eruption).
Iceland volcano picture to become clearer with German equipment
Wednesday, April 28th, 2010
A German aeroplane is preparing to fly to Iceland; volcano picture and measuring equipment are on board which will help ash predictions. Meanwhile Icelandic aviation regulators have removed controls on airspace over Reykjavik and Keflavik airports tonight. Flights are once again able to arrive and depart normally.
Keflavik International Airport and domestic flights in and out of Reykjavik have been cancelled all day due to volcanic ash from south Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull glacier. Precise measurements of volcanic ash production will begin tomorrow with the arrival of a specially equipped German research aircraft.
All domestic and international airports in Iceland are now open with no special restrictions.
Photographer: Anders Peter Amsnæs / www.imagix.dk
Iceland Volcano Becomes More Accessible
Wednesday, April 28th, 2010
The banned area around the eruption site on Eyjafjallajökull glacier in south Iceland has now been decreased. The Ring Road, Iceland’s number 1 highway, which leads past the glacier along the southern coastline, is now open for traffic.