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Update (autotranslated): It's probably a casualty of the last eruption, but they're still looking into it.
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Domestic | etc _ 19.1.2024 |19:35
Uncertainty about undamaged houses in Grindavik
Stefán Einar Stefánsson
...
"Now there is talk that all house properties in Grindavík should be bought up. There is a demand for this. It is completely understandable and I fully understand the will of those who want to go that way."
An eruption occurred near Grindavík on Sunday and destroyed several houses in the town. mbl.is/Kristinn Magnússon
However, Sigurður Kári points out that the issue is bigger than being limited to the disasters that have now occurred in Grindavík.
"However, people have to realize that these natural disasters do not necessarily end with those buyouts. They may continue and arise elsewhere, such as in Hafnarfjörður, and then people need to look ahead and think about how they intend to deal with the events that will take place in the future. And this is the kind of strategy that I think the government must take today. Learn from the situation in Grindavík and decide how we intend to have this arrangement for the future. I think there are many countries that envy us for how good a system we have for dealing with damage caused by natural disasters. On the other hand, the legislation is not perfect and it is not entirely clear how to deal with people's properties that are not damaged but are located in an area that everyone agrees is uninhabitable."
Comments of a geoscientist
Today at At 05:28 a magnitude 3.1 earthquake occurred about 5 km NNW of Bláfjallaskála, which was felt in the capital area. An earthquake of magnitude 2.4 was measured in the same area yesterday evening, at 22:55. Few postmortem swans [BJD: Google's translation -- probably aftershocks, but that would be an interesting name for a band] have followed.
Seismic activity over the magma tunnel has decreased significantly. Magma accumulation continues under the area of Svartsengi and the land has risen up to 8 mm per day in recent days. The risk associated with cracks within Grindavík is still assessed as very high.
More information can be found here in the updated news. updated news on the front page .
Written by geoscientist on duty Jan 27 05:55
Yesterday at At 12:32 an earthquake of magnitude 2.9 occurred in Húsfellsbruna, about 5 km NNW of Bláfjallaskála, and about 10 minutes later an earthquake of magnitude 2.8 occurred in the same area. On 27. 01 at At 05:28 there was an earthquake of magnitude 3.1 in these areas, which was felt in the capital area, and on Friday evening another magnitude 2.4. The earthquakes are in an area that belongs to Brennisteinsfjöll and in an area where earthquakes can occur around and above magnitude 6.
Seismic activity over the magma tunnel has decreased significantly. Magma accumulation continues under the area of Svartsengi and the land has risen up to 8 mm per day in recent days. The risk associated with cracks within Grindavík is still assessed as very high.
More information can be found here in the updated news. updated news on the front page .
Written by geoscientist on duty Jan 29 01:59
Þorvaldur Þórðarsson, a volcanologist, says that he believes that the earthquake in Húsfellsbruna over the weekend is part of the activity that is taking place on the Reykjanes Peninsula. It is not a question of if but when Brennisteinsfjöll will erupt, although he does not think it is likely that it will happen in the near future.
A volcanologist says the series of earthquakes this weekend near Bláfjöll is a sign that the whole system has been triggered.
About twenty earthquakes were recorded in Heidmörk on Saturday and Sunday in an area called Húsfellsbruni, which is a lava area near Bláfjöll. The largest earthquake measured 3.1 in magnitude and the Meteorological Office received a notification that it had been found in Breiðholtin.
...
If magma was gathering there, signs of landris should be seen in the Norwegian Meteorological Agency's data, similar to what we have seen at Svartsengi and Fagradalsfjall. "We see no signs of that. However, it is important to be aware that earthquakes originating from the Hvalhnúks Fault are the largest earthquakes to have hit the Reykjanes Peninsula", says Kristín.
If there is an earthquake of magnitude 6 on the Hvalhnúks fault, it will be felt well over most of the country and in the capital area...
"But isn't it better for us to try to understand now what can happen and what we can do to respond to these events and protect our infrastructure so that we can continue to live life the way we want?"
"Assuming that this continues at a similar pace as has happened before, it is expected that in February, around the middle of February, or even next week, there will be another magma flow," says Kristín.
It could be a volcanic eruption or an event like November 10, when a 15-kilometre magma intrusion formed under Grindavík.
An eruption could happen with very little notice.
"Magma can start without there being much seismic activity or warning," says Kristín.
"Like with what happened on December 18, that happened very quickly and unfortunately we have to live with the risk that seismic activity will increase just an hour before there is an eruption."
"We rather expect to get at least a minimum notice like last time, or one and a half hours." But the notice could be shorter," says Benedikt in an interview with Morgunblaðið.
Katrín says it is clear that the construction of defenses at Grindavík will continue. That work will continue in stages.
"Since then, other areas are being mapped, that is, where more detailed analysis work needs to be undertaken in order to be able to prepare possible defensive parks in the future, but this is now the big project, that is how we proceed with matters towards Grindavík. "
DOMESTIC
Over a thousand people to Grindavík today
Oddur Ævar Gunnarsson writes 4 February 2024 07:19
From Grindavíkur town.INDICATOR/EAGLES![]()
A thousand people will go into Grindavík today to visit their properties and/or help pack and/or move...
A smaller event may cause an eruption
Atli Ísleifsson writes February 5, 2024 12:55 p.m
Salvage of valuables in Grindavík continues today. There is a similar pattern of earthquakes in the area and before the last eruption, but it is possible that a smaller event is needed to trigger an eruption due to the short time since the last eruption.Seismic activity in the area last night and this morning has been similar to the last few days.INDICATOR/EAGLES![]()
Updated models show continued magma accumulation beneath Svartsengi
The probability of magma flows and eruptions continues to increase
5.2.2024
...
Updated February 5 at 16:00
Magma accumulation under Svartsengi continues, although the land giant has slowed down there in the last few days. A similar process occurred for the magma flows and eruptions that occurred in January 2024 and December 2023. According to newly updated models based on satellite and GPS data covering the period from January 16 to February 5, the amount of magma under Svartsengi is now estimated at 9 million cubic meters. It is estimated that around 9 – 13 million cubic meters flowed from the magma collection area under Svartsengi when magma flowed from there and erupted near Hagafell on January 14. Therefore, the estimated amount of magma under Svartsengi has now reached the lower limit of the amount believed to have accumulated there before the last eruption. There is therefore an increased probability of magma flow and eruption in the coming days or weeks.
Since Friday, close to 200 earthquakes have been recorded in the area north of Grindavík, most of them around or below magnitude 1 at a depth of 3-4 km. The largest earthquake occurred on the morning of Sunday, February 4 at Sundhnúk and measured 2.2 at a depth of almost 6 km.
The Met Office's round-the-clock watch continues to monitor the area very closely, and the current hazard assessment map remains in effect until 15:00 on February 8, all things being equal.
Waveform cross-sectional image showing landris during the period from January 23 to February 4, 2024. Gray areas in the image show areas where land changes could not be measured due to changes in snow cover during the period.
An action package for property owners in Grindavík will be presented at the end of this week. This was revealed by Finance Minister Þórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörð Gylfadóttir after a cabinet meeting today.
Þórdís says that there is already an agreement with financial institutions regarding implementation, but the government has been looking at ways to buy out property owners and enable them to buy housing elsewhere.
The real estate valuation of properties in Grindavík amounts to almost one hundred billion ISK...
-- Source (autotranslated)
At 5:30 this morning, the intensity of small earthquake activity started northeast of Sýlingarfell. About 30 minutes later, an eruption began in the same area.
Based on the first reports from the Coast Guard's surveillance flight, the eruption is in the same areas as the one that erupted on December 18. The crack is about 3 km long, runs from Sundhnúk in the south to the eastern end of Stóra-Scógfell. Lava flows mostly to the west at this stage. Lava flow appears to be slightly less than at the beginning of the eruption on December 18. The jets reach a height of about 50-80 m and the plume rises to a height of about 3 km.
More information can be found here in the updated news on the front page .
Written by geoscientist on duty 08 Feb. 08:21
Volcanic eruption northeast of Sýlingarfell
The location of the fissure is in the same area as when it erupted on December 18
8.2.2024
Updated at 10:00 am
Hraunbreiðan now approaches Grindavíkurveg just north of the defense wall that leads to Sýlingarfell.
Below you can see a comparison of the location of the lava rim as seen from RÚV's webcam at 9:27 and then at 9:53 am.
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Updated February 8 at 6:50 am
At 5:30 this morning, the intensity of small earthquake activity started northeast of Sýlingarfell. About 30 minutes later, an eruption began in the same area.
For the first few minutes, the crack extended both to the north and to the south.
Based on the first reports from the Coast Guard's surveillance flight, the eruption is in the same areas as the one that erupted on December 18. The crack is about 3 km long, runs from Sundhnúk in the south to the eastern end of Stóra-Scógfell. Lava flows mostly to the west at this stage. Lava flow appears to be slightly less than at the beginning of the eruption on December 18.
The jets reach a height of about 50-80 m and the plume rises to a height of about 3 km.
Photograph from a patrol flight by the Coast Guard. Stóra-Scógfell in the foreground and the lights in the power plant in Svartsengi on the right. (Photo: Björn Oddsson)
This was what we feared the notice would shorten over time and now it was just over half an hour. We had assumed that an eruption with short notice would occur in these areas," says Benedikt Gunnar to mbl.is.
The deformation started immediately after the earthquake
Benedikt says that the intensity of the earthquake started around 5:30 this morning northeast of Sýlingarfell. "I don't have the size of the quakes, but they didn't exceed three in size and weren't felt much." The deformation started immediately following the earthquakes," he says.
Passengers at Keflavík Airport got a good view of the eruption this morning. Photo/Ólafur Már Svavarsson
He says that a signal was received from boreholes at Svartsengi and that a clear change in pressure was revealed, and thus it was clear that the magma had started. Benedikt says it is not clear at the moment about the amount of magma flow.
-- Source (autotranslatwd)
The lava flow could reach the hot water pipe by noon
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Ármann Höskuldsson volcanologist.
It is very serious if Njarvíkuræð is damaged, especially at this time of year, says volcanologist Ármann Höskuldsson. It's the middle of winter and the weather forecast doesn't look like it's going to warm up at all until the next week or so.
Hopes are high that the backup will work. Because it turned out that the pipe that was damaged in the last eruption was quickly rusting. It is not just the heat that has an effect, but also gas and corrosive substances that can follow and can affect the pipe, even though it is relatively intact under the lava. He says that one of the worst things that can happen is that when the lava becomes tough, it can push against the pipe.
Asked if the lava is moving faster than expected, Ármann said not. There is a bigger deficit in the country. Lava is thin-flowing by nature and if it has a decent slope, it can fly off quickly.
Ármann says that a much smaller amount of lava is coming up now than it did first thing in the morning. It is quite in the style of these volcanic eruptions that have been happening recently. It is loaded in a tank until a certain overpressure occurs. As long as no more enters the tank between eruptions, the eruptions themselves will never be large.