Katla, Eyjafjallajokull and Now Meet Iceland Volcano Torfajokull

(Update 6/25/10) This is just a quick update to let everyone know that another quake has just registered near Torfajokull. This one happened within the last few hours and is actually between Torfajokull and Hekla. This was a decent sized quake that was over 2.0 magnitude. That may not sound like that, but for a volcano that could go active, that is substantial. Most of the quakes we see at the Icelandic volcanoes are less than 2.0. 

6/23/10

If you have been following the volcanic activity in Iceland, then you might be interested in the latest news. First we had Eyjafjallajokull, the Icelandic volcano that became active in March. Then people started getting curious about Katla. Katla hasn’t become active yet, but history shows Katla and Eyja having a pattern of erupting in step with each other. Although Eyja has caused all kinds of problems of its own, historically, we know that Katla will be an even bigger event. Katla has been showing signs of activity, for the last few months, as it has been having earthquakes, near and at the site of the volcano.

Today, near by volcano, Torfajokull started registering quakes. I can’t say when the last time this location had earthquakes, but I can tell you that it is the first time I have noticed, in the last few months. I’ve been watching the area closely since Eyja started erupting. Torfajokull has registered 3 earthquakes in the last 12 hours. From the information that I can find, the last time that this volcano erupted was in 1477. The last silicic eruption from this volcano that produced lava flows, was in 900 AD. I will be keeping a close eye on this, as I have been with Katla and Eyja. Please check back here for further updates.

Here is a good link to view the earthquake information and to see the location of Torfajokull in comparison to the near by Eyja, Katla and Hekla:

http://en.vedur.is/earthquakes-and-volcanism/earthquakes/myrdalsjokull/

Here is my article about Katla. I update this whenever something new happens at Katla or Eyja:

Iceland Volcano Katla Earthquake Update with Pictures