Tag: eruption
Alas, Poor Grindavík Volume 2: Lava Invades the Town
It was inevitable, really. Iceland got lucky for the first four eruptions on the Reykjanes Peninsula, but when volcanoes are rolling dice in populated areas, they eventually get snake eyes and buildings burn. Grindavík had a Christmas reprieve, but the new year isn’t starting off so well.
That’s life on a reawakened volcanic peninsula.
From virtually the moment the 2023 Sundhnúkur eruption ended, we knew the volcano wasn’t done. The ground began rising, signalling intruding magma. I was surprised when Icelandic authorities allowed townspeople to return to Grindavík and the Blue Lagoon reopened for tourists. The Eldvörp–Svartsengi volcanic system was letting everyone know, very clearly, that it wasn’t done with the lava and that it wouldn’t be done for some time. It was just taking a holiday break. But Icelandic folks are made of tough stuff, and the small matter of a restless volcano wasn’t going to keep them from living life as normally as possible. They just kept a wary eye on the thing and carried on.
Things were coming to a head going into the weekend, and authorities had issued an evacuation order for Grindavík come Monday. The volcano couldn’t wait that long. Around 3 am Iceland time, a dramatic increase in seismic activity let everyone know go time was now. Sirens sounds, emergency alerts texted, and people fled just in time. (more…)
Alas, Poor Grindavík: Iceland Eruption Commences in a Terrible Location
The Reykajanes volcanic system just gave Iceland an awful early Christmas present: a brand new eruption in nearly the worst possible spot. Alas, we can’t return it.
Aerial view of the eruption taken from a Civil Defense helicopter a few hours after the eruption started. Credit: Almannavarnadeild ríkislögreglustjóra
Iceland Eruption Nearly Inevitable; Grindavík Could Go Under Lava
Up til now, volcanic eruptions on Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula were benevolent tourist attractions. They put on pretty shows and confined themselves to remote, unpopulated areas, clustered around Fagradalsfjall. No important infrastructure was harmed. People got to hike up and safely experience the birth of a new volcano. It was as good as volcanic eruptions get.
Previous Fagradalsfall Eruption Sites. Credit: Icelandic Meteorological Office
Magma started intruding under Fagradalsfjall in September, just a couple of months after the end of its third eruption. Until late October, it didn’t look like things would get too exciting. But a seismic swarm started near the Blue Lagoon area just north of Grindavík late on the 24th and ramped up dramatically overnight. Over one thousand earthquakes, the largest a M4.5, were recorded overnight, most at a depth of around 5 kilometers. By the next day, the numbers had risen to 4,000, some as shallow as 2 kilometers. And the ground was beginning to deform.
On the 27th, horizontal ground displacement was already up to 2 centimeters, and a M4.0 was recorded just 2 kilometers north of Grindavík. Yikes.
But magma hadn’t started moving on up yet.
When Whirlwinds Meet Hot Lava: Lava Devils!
There are so many things to see while watching a livestream of a volcanic eruption. Lava fountains, spatter cones being built up and falling down, turbulence in lava flows… and lava devils?!
Yes, indeed! Keep your focus on the left in the video below, and you’ll see molten lava sucked up and flung about by a vigorous little whirlwind during Kilauea’s latest summit eruption: (more…)
Eldfell Eruption: 50 Years Ago, a Village Fought the Lava and Won
Imagine going to sleep one night, and then being awakened in the small hours of the morning by a volcano that’s suddenly erupting right beside your town. Fifty years ago, this was the scene for residents of the small Icelandic fishing town of Heimaey, on the island of the same name.
One day, I will write it up properly. It’s an eruption that has fascinated me since childhood, and it’s a wonderful example of people battling lava and pretty much winning. But today is not that day. Instead, I have a collage of videos for you, including one featuring a younger David Attenborough on location. How awesome is this? (more…)
Video: Kilauea Eruption’s Spectacular Return
After giving the world a lovely early midwinter gift with the first eruption of Mauna Loa in 38 years, Madam Pele took the holidays off. Kilauea’s summit eruption paused on December 9th, possibly due to the relief of stress as its neighbor’s reservoir emptied.* Mauna Loa’s display ended on the 13th, and both volcanoes slumbered peacefully through the new year.
Pele returned to Kilauea with a spectacular lava show on January 5th. And I’ve got the videos all nicely arranged for you.
Mauna Loa Erupts! What’s Next?
After a long period of unrest, Mauna Loa volcano began erupting near midnight on November 27th. Is this eruption a big frigging deal? Is it going to destroy major Hawaiian cities? How did we get here? Let’s delve!
First, you’ve gotta watch the first moments of the eruption though the USGS thermal camera at the summit. Watching a fissure split Moku’āweoweo caldera and fresh lava spill across the caldera floor is absolutely riveting:
Isn’t that gorgeous? I was mesmerized in the wee hours of the morning, refreshing the summit webcams and watching the eruption evolve. There’s something incredibly beautiful about fresh lava fountaining and flowing where it has absolutely zero chance of seriously ruining anyone’s day.
After resurfacing most of the caldera floor (which is a lot- the floor is nearly 15km² in area!), lava flows overtopped the crater rim to the southwest on the morning of November 28th. You could see lava from the coast! (more…)
Iceland Erupts! Geldingadalir’s Back, Baby, Yeah!
Iceland’s newest volcano is treating the Reykjanes Peninsula to a reprise in activity, and I’ve got all your volcano video needs covered right here. I was 95% sure this would happen when the eruption went on hiatus last year, and I’m so excited to see eruption activity resume. Hopefully it will behave as politely as last time, and avoid destroying any civilization while it treats us to a lava-ly* show.
First, Geology’s Hub’s announcement of the August 3rd reawakening:
Next up, one of my favorite Icelandic news sites broadcasts right from the edge of the eruption. (more…)
42 for Loowit’s 42nd vol. 7: Reprise
There was life in the old girl yet.
To be fair, though, Loowit (Mount St. Helens) isn’t very old as far as volcanoes go. So when she rumbled awake in late September of 2004, volcanologists weren’t terribly surprised. She’d slumbered for less than 20 years after her 80s eruptive sequence, but it wasn’t shocking to see magma on the move again.
Her prompt eruption on October 1st signalled a new phase of dome building. And this time, we had better cameras, better monitoring equipment, and the plans in place to do some serious monitoring.
Dome within Mount St. Helens’ crater is hot and glowing as it grows, viewed from Johnston Ridge Observatory (JRO), with base of small steam and ash plume. 11/4/2004. Caption and image credit: USGS
She put on a beautiful show. (more…)