HISZ RSOE is reporting that there is volcanic activity at Katla! Things are moving very fast indeed! There is as yet no further detail, but I will update as soon as I see that they have added more information.

Edit – Approx 12 hours on and no further updates. Webcams show pretty good visibility.

Edit – Another 12 hours on and still no more news out of Iceland about Katla. There have been no more reported earthquakes on HISZ RSOE

Is it over?

In the past 48 hours there have been four earthquakes at the larger Katla volcano in Iceland. The earthquakes may be due to ice movements within the Mýrdalsjökull glacier or magma movement under the volcano. Scientists have been keeping a close watch on the Katla volcano, due to the possibility of an eruption triggered by the activity at the nearby Eyjafjallajokull volcano. Earthquakes are the inbuilt warning that an eruption may be imminent and history has shown that Katla usually erupts after being triggered by an eruption at Eyjafjallajokull. Historically large eruptions at Katla have occurred at regular intervals about every 50 years. Katla usually produces eruptions far more devastating and an eruption in the next 8 weeks could seriously screw up my travel plans. On the other hand, an eruption when I arrive could turn into some pretty special photographic opportunities. This is proving to be nail biting stuff for me…

You can view a live webcam of current activity HERE.

Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull volcano is erupting with much less force than before – spewing just five tonnes of ash per second instead of 200 at its peak earlier in the week. The material being produced is tephra rising to 1.5 to 2 km into the air. No lava is flowing from the crater according to the latest reports on the ground. Nearly 30 earthquakes have been reported shaking the Eyjafjallajokull glacier since yesterday; but most were very small. The force of the eruption has diminished considerably and the cloud blowing up from the west of the volcano contains little ash. Explosive activity is also said to be minimal and no lighting has been observed for a couple of days. Although it may appear the volcano is coming to an end, it could equally intensify again at any moment, so it is not surprising that no scientist has yet come forward to say that he/she believes the eruption is ending.

What does this mean for my photography trip? Well, its probably to early to say; but, with less ash being thrown into the atmosphere the chances of air travel being grounded diminishes; which is a good thing (it means I can get there with a higher degree of certainty). But, this latest news may also spell the end of the eruption before I even hit the ground – ending a potentially great photographic opportunity. I am continuing to monitor news as it comes to hand, but admit to being somewhat torn at this latest turn of events.

Sean Stiegemeier has posted a really stunning time lapse video of the volcanic eruption in Iceland. The video is from a number of different locations around the volcano site so you get a really good impression of the surrounding landscape – its both beautiful and haunting. I cant embed the video because its on Vimeo and for copyright reasons, so just click on the link in this post to be taken directly to the video. Well worth a couple of minutes out of your day to enjoy.