From what I’ve been reading on RUV.is, the expectation is that this one will probably be bigger. That doesn’t necessarily mean it will have the same impact—one of the problems with Eyjafjallajökull was that being situated under a glacier meant that it shot up huge amounts of ash that were carried on the wind into England and Europe.
Right now they don’t know if it will erupt in or just outside Grindavík, but the latter is more likely. My family sent me some wild pictures of deep fissures that have opened in a golf course just west of the town that apparently grew over 1.5 meters in a single day.
"Grindavik" sounds like a place Thor would live.
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So what's actually going on though? Like is this a plate slipping or something? Apparently there's like 3 plates under Iceland, and that seems (to me) like a pretty small area for that many plates...
So what's actually going on though? Like is this a plate slipping or something? Apparently there's like 3 plates under Iceland, and that seems (to me) like a pretty small area for that many plates...
The separation of the north american plate and the eurasian plate runs straight thru Iceland.
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I took my son to Grindavik during July 2021 to see the erupting volcano then. It was an incredible experience. You could walk right up to the flowing lava. The sound of the crackling and the heat it gave off will stay with me forever.
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The separation of the north american plate and the eurasian plate runs straight thru Iceland.
That's insane! Iceland is literally being split apart 2cm/year.
What is Hreppafleki? How does that play into this? As near as I can tell, it's its own plate just (apparently) spinning between the two continental plates?
Man, the pictures of the water along that fault line(?) as just stunning. Silfra... is fault line the right term? I've seen "rift" and "fissure" ... I guess they're all just synonyms, although this looks nothing like San Andreas...
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That's insane! Iceland is literally being split apart 2cm/year.
What is Hreppafleki? How does that play into this? As near as I can tell, it's its own plate just (apparently) spinning between the two continental plates?
Man, the pictures of the water along that fault line(?) as just stunning. Silfra... is fault line the right term? I've seen "rift" and "fissure" ... I guess they're all just synonyms, although this looks nothing like San Andreas...
Iceland would have been two islands many years ago had the lava stopped, but this is volcanic island building at it's finest
I know it sounds crazy but seismologists say due the slow-moving molten eruptions and weak earthquakes Iceland is a very safe place to live.
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That's insane! Iceland is literally being split apart 2cm/year.
Not really split. Iceland is on the Mid Altantic ridge which is a divergence zone. The tectonic plates are moving away from each other so Iceland is slowly growing in size with each new eruption.
What is Hreppafleki? How does that play into this? As near as I can tell, it's its own plate just (apparently) spinning between the two continental plates?
Man, the pictures of the water along that fault line(?) as just stunning. Silfra... is fault line the right term? I've seen "rift" and "fissure" ... I guess they're all just synonyms, although this looks nothing like San Andreas...
Both are located where two tectonic plates meet but that is as similar as it gets. San Andreas is on a convergence zone where the plates are coming together. Much nastier outcome here. Along the San Andreas the plates are actually moving sideways relative to each other while in other areas (like off the coast of BC) they oceanic plate is being driven under the North American plate.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Snuffleupagus
Iceland would have been two islands many years ago had the lava stopped, but this is volcanic island building at it's finest
I know it sounds crazy but seismologists say due the slow-moving molten eruptions and weak earthquakes Iceland is a very safe place to live.
Divergence zones are quite mild geologically and tectonically speaking. The lave tends to be basalt which is low in gas content and low in viscosity, the result is it flows easily and eruptions tend to be less explosive. Compare that to volcanoes along the west edge of the Americas and in other subduction zones. Those result in some spectacular eruptions. (eg Mt St Helens).
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Divergence zones are quite mild geologically and tectonically speaking. The lave tends to be basalt which is low in gas content and low in viscosity, the result is it flows easily and eruptions tend to be less explosive. Compare that to volcanoes along the west edge of the Americas and in other subduction zones. Those result in some spectacular eruptions. (eg Mt St Helens).
Which is comforting and all, until you remember Eyjafjallajökull happened, which was kinda not that.
