The Bardarbunga volcano in Iceland has experienced an earthquake measuring 5.7 on the Richter scale. No eruption has yet been recorded, but seismic activity at the subglacial volcano has increased over recent days. Although seismic activity has decreased over the last few days, an eruption of Iceland's largest volcanic system could happen at any time.
A volcanic eruption of Bardarbunga is unlikely to cause any human fatalities or injuries, as it is in a scarcely-populated area. Such an event could play havoc with the European airline industry, however, as flights will need to be canceled or rerouted to reduce risk to aircraft. Particles of volcanic glass can enter the air intakes of jets, damaging engines.
"There was one event during the night... it was a magnitude 5.7 (quake), the largest in this series. Activity is still deep and we see no signs of anything close to the surface," Palmi Erlendsson, a geologist at the Met Office in Iceland, said.
Geologists at the Met Office in Reykjavik believe the quakes being felt around the volcano are the result of magma moving underneath the ground.
The Eyjafjallajokull volcano caused the cancellation of more than 100,000 flights when it erupted in April 2010. Much of the air traffic normally flying over Europe was grounded after this massive blast. Flights in Germany and England were canceled in 2011, following a blast of ash released from the Grimsvotn volcano in Iceland.
On 23 August, Iceland's Met Office reported sensing a small eruption under the glacial ice. Geologists later confirmed no eruption had occurred. After scientists reached the new conclusion, an alert meant for the aviation industry was downgraded from red to orange. A red alert indicates an eruption is either underway or imminent.
Bardarbunga could erupt in one of three locations, with each presenting a characteristic blast. If magma lets through the glacier, reaching the surface, an eruption would likely release large quantities of ash, along with flooding from melting ice. Molten rock could also traverse horizontally under the glacier, and reach the surface beyond the ice pack. Such an eruption would produce less ash than an equivalent event occurring under the ice sheet. An eruption directly under the caldera of the volcano could be the most devastating, but such a scenario is also the least likely of the three possibilities.
Husavik, a town with 2,200 residents, is the nearest populated area to the volcano. Thousands of tremors and small quakes were recorded in just a week during this latest wave of geological activity. People around the region of Bardarbunga have been evacuated, in anticipation of possible volcanic activity.
