Askja volcano, Central Iceland: news & activity updates

IMO has now raised Askja to Yellow status as the rapid deformation of the caldera is continuing and has now reached 7 cm in just six weeks. Rising magma is also only at 2-3 km depth, so the possibility of an eruption in the near-term is increased.On 9 September IMO raised the Aviation Color Code for Askja to Yellow, noting that inflation that began in early August was ongoing and notably rapid. The uplift was centered at the W edge of Oskjuvatn caldera, which rose a total of 7 cm. The data suggested that magma was accumulating at 2-3.5 km depth. Read allThe Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) reported that GPS observations and ground deformation maps from Sentinel-1 satellite data detected that the volcano began to inflate at the beginning of August 2021. The uplift signal is centered on the western edge of Öskjuvatn, close to Ólafsgígar, and corresponds to ~5 cm/month of vertical motion. Geodetic modeling indicates that the source of this inflation is located at a depth of approximately 3 km and corresponds to a volume change of approximately 0.001 km³/month. Read allOn 3 September IMO reported that inflation at Askja had begun in early August based on ground deformation data derived from satellite images and continuous GPS data. The uplift was centered at the W edge of Oskjuvatn caldera and vertically deformed at a rate of about 5 cm per month. Data indicated that the source of the inflation was at a depth of about 3 km and caused a volume change of about .01 cubic kilometers per month; the source was unknown, though most likely was caused by an influx of magma. Read allAn swarm of earthquakes is occurring near the Askja caldera, in an area approx. 10 km ENE from the rim and at depths around 5 km. Read allA shallow earthquake swarm has been occurring 25 km NE of the Aksja caldera since Thursday. Read all IMO had maintained the Aviation Colour Code for Askja at Yellow since 28 August due to elevated seismicity and localized deformation. On 11 September the Colour Code was reduced to Green when seismicity had diminished significantly. Read allA large landslide occurred from the southern wall of the Askja caldera yesterday night. The slide caused a large flood wave in the Öskjuvatn lake that also swept into the famous Viti crater. Read all