Iceland Volcano

[paulster78]

I know this eruption has been going on for a while now but thought id post this link as the eruption looks pretty impressive tonight as darkness falls and you can keep up to date from this webcam.

http://mila.is/um-milu/vefmyndavelar/eyjafjallajokull-fra-fimmvorduhalsi/

[markt]

Yes, i've been keeping a close eye on it.  Only just over a month ago and I was only a matter of miles away from the site of it.

Here's a vid of us hooning around in the Land Rover - the new volcano is (would be) on the right hand side

View My Video

The volcano is coming from underneath the main glacier of which the one in the pic below is an outlet glacier from.  The ice really was such a vivid blue aswell.   The pic and vid is from a valley called Porsmork (Thors Valley) which at the moment is completely closed off and theres a real risk of the flow from the fissure coming over the side and into the valley - pretty much like the outlet glacier does...





I have some more pics of the area, in particular from the other side of the glacier.  I'm at work atm, but will look to get some more pickies up of all this later on. 

If the eruption continues for any length of time, and at the moment it seems to be going strong, we could well be in for some interesting sunsets in the months ahead.  Also, I wonder what effect it will have on temperatures for us in north western europe particularly next winter? 

[paulster78]

Volcano showing a lot of activity right now. You can see 4x4s and observers taking up positions.

[Big Dipper]

An aside issue - did anyone see this weeks edition of the Wonders of the Solar System? I enjoyed the coverage of volcanoes very much.

Nice images & video Mark.

[paulster78]

Yes Andy it was a brilliant episode and im really looking forward to the last one tomorrow night.        Lovely shots of the glacier Mark.

[JohnC]

It's been a great series and enjoyable too from the layman's view.  It's amazing that we didn't know about any other planets outside the Solar System until 20 years ago-we've just started out really but I saw a programme that suggested that  there may well have been waves of life creating scenarios sweeping through the Universe and we were part of one        4.5 billion years ago and ingredients,for want of a better word, conspired  to allow Earth to continue to develop where other bodies have started off on the road to forms of life but  failed (Mars ?)

Here's an interesting read. http://www.fermisparadox.com/

[markt]

Well, looking at this tv broadcast http://visir.is/article/20100414/FRETTIR01/366638533 you can see the lovely blue ice of gigjokull in my pictures above is no more...  The whole area is devastated compared to what I knew it as 2 months ago...   

[JohnC]

Here's some more photos http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/04/more_from_eyjafjallajokull.html

[markt]

That is a fantastic series of photos John, thanks for sharing - some of the best i've seen!

It's quite crazy to see being a place I know so well.  I've been keeping track of it on a daily basis - would seem now that the lava is flowing towards and is expected to come out from the Gigjokull outlet glacier pretty soon - from ice to fire in a matter of months.  The 'road' to the outlet glacier is considered one of the best (read most fun) 4wd tracks in iceland - a recent update described it as 'completely impassable even to Icelandic (read super-size) four wheel drives) - photo no7 shows this well...

Funds and flights permitting I hope to return there in october 

[JohnC]

Getting a bit worried about flights - I'm going with United at noon tomorrow to Washington DC. This is the ash cloud today

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/aviation/vaac/data/VAG_1273296251.png

[markt]

I hope all goes well for you John.  I have to get up to Edinburgh in a couple of weeks time, i'd much rather fly than take a protracted train journey, but booking a ticket for the plane is a bit of a **** atm...

[markt]

Booked my ticket - £15(!) birmingham to edinburgh - if theres ash its not the end of the world at those prices...

Incidentally, check out this website >>>> http://satepsanone.nesdis.noaa.gov/pub/OMI/OMISO2/index.html this gives very up to date 'click and zoom' images of the ash clouds current position(s).

There's a particularly dense patch out to the west of you guys in NI today - if it clears up later on I think you may have a very nice sunset tonight.  I've been using this website as a 'sunset' indicator of late...