Tree rings pinpoint eruption of Icelandic volcano to half a century before human settlement
An international group of researchers has dated a large volcanic eruption in Iceland to within a few months. The eruption, which is the oldest volcanic eruption to be precisely dated at high northern latitudes, occurred shortly before the first permanent human settlements were established, when parts of the now mostly treeless island were still covered with forest. The team, which included volcanologists, climatologists, geographers and historians among others, used a combination of scientific and historical evidence to pinpoint the eruption date of the Katla volcano between late 822 CE and early 823 CE, decades before the earliest settlers arrived. Their results are reported in the journal Geology. Read more
Unrest in Katla volcano prompts caution - Authorities worry about tourists in the area
The National Commissioner of Police and the District Commissioner of Police in South Iceland are keeping a close watch on the recent seismic unrest in Katla volcano, situated under the Myrdalsjokull icecap, according to a Visir report. Read more
An earthquake of magnitude 3.4 registered in Katla volcano at 1:41 pm yesterday, according to the Icelandic Met Office. No aftershocks have occurred. Late in November, a group of scientists replaced a number of meters on the edge of the volcano's caldera. Read more
The National Commissioner of the Icelandic Police and the District Commissioner of Police in South Iceland have cancelled the Civil Protection Uncertainty level due to a possible eruption in the Katla caldera underneath the Mýrdalsjökull glacier. Read more
Monster volcano Katla keeps clearing her throat, a large earthquake hit yesterday
A magnitude 3.9 earthquake struck in Katla, the large sub-glacial volcano, at 13.31 (1.31 pm) yestarday, followed by a few aftershocks. However, there are no signs of volcanic tremors according to the Icelandic Met Office (IMO). Read more
New Icelandic volcano eruption could have global impact
Hundreds of metres under one of Iceland's largest glaciers there are signs of an imminent volcanic eruption that could be one of the most powerful the country has seen in almost a century. Read more
Icelandic volcano could cause severe flooding scientist warns
Hundreds of metres under one of Iceland's largest glaciers there are signs of an imminent volcanic eruption that could be one of the most powerful the country has seen in almost a century. Mighty Katla, with its 10km-wide crater, has the potential to cause catastrophic flooding as it melts the frozen surface of its caldera and sends billions of gallons of water surging through the east coast and into the Atlantic ocean. Read more
Iceland's Katla volcano is always aquiver with seismic activity and local people and scientists have been waiting for an eruption for years - although they probably experienced them this year and in 1999 without even noticing. There has been increased activity at Katla since early July, when a sharp flood was released from under the Mýrdalsjökull glacier and down the Múlahvísl river, washing a road bridge away; as was widely reported at the time. Katla's unrest has, it seems, entered a new stage, a leading geophysicist says. Read more
Named after an evil troll, Katla has a larger magma chamber than Eyjafjallajokul's. Its last major eruption in 1918 continued more than a month, turning day into night, starving crops of sunlight and killing off some livestock. The eruption melted some of the ice-sheet covering Katla, flooding surrounding farmlands with a torrent of water that some accounts have said measured as wide as the Amazon. Now, clusters of small earthquakes are being detected around Katla, which means an eruption could be imminent, seismologists say. The earthquakes have been growing in strength, too. After a long period of magnitude 3 tremors, a magnitude 4 quake was detected last week. Read more
Well, Jon Frimann has been noticing this for the past week or so, but the increased seismicity at Iceland's Katla has finally begun to show up in the mainstream media. CBS had a report from the Associated Press about the seismicity at the Icelandic volcano, noting the uptick in small earthquakes under the volcano. Read more