Iceland Katla Volcano Update; Alert Level Raised, Roads Closed

The alert level of Iceland's most potentially dangerous volcano was just raised from green to yellow. This occurred at the Katla volcano, which produced a major explosive eruption in 1918. It has thus been 105 years since Katla last erupted, so a new strong earthquake swarm which produced several magnitude 4 quakes was quite suspicious. This video will analyze the current situation and briefly shows which roads are closed adjacent to the volcano due to a combination of this volcano increase in seismic activity and/or the weather.
Note: If anyone is in Iceland you can call 1777 for road closure information.
Thumbnail Photo Credit: This work "Katla44", is a derivative of a photo (resized, cropped, text overlay, GeologyHub made graphics overlay (the image border along with the GeologyHub logo)) from "Sleeping volkano", by: Inga Vitola, 360around, 2011, Posted on Flickr, Flickr account link: www.flickr.com/photos/360around/, Photo link: www.flickr.com/photos/360arou..., CC BY 2.0. "Katla44" is used & licensed under CC BY 2.0 by / geologyhub
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Sources/Citations:
[1] Vedur.is / Iceland Met Office
[2] Depart of Civil Protection in Iceland (Almannavarnir)
0:00 Katla Earthquake Swarm
0:37 Raised Alert Level
1:27 4 Possibilities
3:39 My Opinion
4:00 Conclusion

[@GeologyHub]

Note: If anyone is in Iceland you can call 1777 for road closure information. I am not of the opinion that Katla will erupt due to this earthquake sequence, but only time will tell. The earthquake sequence at Katla did NOT occur alongside any uplift, harmonic tremor, or any tremor from a developing glacial flood. (There does not appear to be any uplift, harmonic tremor, or imminent glacial flood....at least as of the writing of this comment on 18:13 Arizona local time (Phoenix) on May 4th 2023.

[@andritgm]

​@Soonpizza345 They were posted by accident.

[@midlandredux]

The fifth possibility, since this is Iceland, would be Dark Elves summoning a score of frost giants to avenge some wrong done to their kin. I do not know if this would activate Article 5 of the NATO treaty, but it would make for a humdinger of a Norwegian monster movie.

[@briangarrow448]

There was a guy that I met in a bar in Iceland, and he claimed it was all the fault of the Dark Elves. He said his name was Atticus. A twenty-something, pale white guy with lots of cool tats all over his body. Had a red beard and hair and a really nice Irish wolfhound. We drank a few beers and then he said he had to leave- something about getting out of Midgard before Loki or Hel showed up. I hope everything went smoothly for him and that dog.

[@mikewatson4644]

Could I get some contact info for them? There might be some wrongs done that need to be avenged. Asking for a friend

[@JessicaCEP]

@@briangarrow448 it’s a shame I can’t read about that in a book, sounds interesting, and I am a fan of Irish wolfhounds…

[@NullHand]

6th possibilty: It's just Loki getting frisky with some random Ice Giantess. I think the traditional response is to bang on the floor with Gungnir and hope for no new monstrous progeny.

[@genuinetuffguy1854]

Roll a D20 to see if you can hit a dark elf… 🤣

[@BKF0]

1:10 some of your most cutting-edge analysis yet (just playing, i love your videos)

[@user-Carrie69Wales]

Thank you for update ❤

[@i-k1567]

What if the glaciars are sinking at the same rate the volcano is uplifting thus creating the impression there has been no uplift not glaciar depression?

[@Mp57navy]

There would be visible cauldrons forming in the ice, as it's not going to be melted equally everywhere. No such thing has been found.

[@gtbkts]

Thank you for the awesome video and amazing content!!

[@RoseNZieg]

great information! I like your hypothesis.

[@hollyerin897]

Great interesting video! would love to see something on the hotspot debate - plume theory vs plate theory!

[@catlitter6895]

wow that would be a catastrophic eruption if it will happen. as there is a glacier on top of the vulcanoe. thank you for your recent update and for all the very informative videos you made. im no geologist but my hobby is geology and you explain things very inderstandable. keep on msking such great videos fwhich (at least me) you can learn a lot from. 👍👍

[@anakinskywalker8859]

In my geology program, I believe we go on a trip to either Iceland or Sweden in the third year of the program. It would be really cool if any volcanoes in Iceland would erupt (hopefully the ones from 2021 and 2022) by the time the trip happens.

[@michaeldeierhoi4096]

Those specific volcanoes are very unlikely to erupt again though an eruption is very possible.

[@ArtByKarenEHaley]

As long as an eruption doesn't disrupt flights to your destination and cancel your trip, that would be a trip to remember for sure!

[@unchargedpickles6372]

I was noticing those bigger quakes in Iceland earlier today! Thought something must be going on!

[@Mp57navy]

Thanks, the news had me on the edge of my seat for almost 24 hours, I live only 150km from this not so friendly volcano.

[@Sphynx93rkn]

Oh man what a scenery 😔😔

[@SportNerdGamers]

Could you do a video on the Minarets in Mammoth lakes?

[@LossyLossnitzer]

it is strange to see this at this time of year because of glacier ice melt water, as you say normally happens in August/september

[@squatch78gaming40]

It could be a 5th option. The ground deformation is being hidden by ice melt. So as the ice melts the ground takes its place.

[@soly-dp-colo6388]

I can't remember which one of Katla or Hekla can erupt with almost no warning, but they're both pretty impressive volcanoes.

[@kathnunan641]

thats Hekla can erupt with 2 or 3 low mag 2 earthquakes

[@Derecq]

When we snowmobiled across the glacier on Katla in winter 2014 we were told it had erupted about every 80 years and was now overdue for the next eruption. If it did erupt it would melt the ice filling the caldera causing a massive flood that would wipe out the nearby settlements on the coast. It was still pretty cool to snowmobile on a dormant volcano even though I crashed mine !

[@ChristianPeper]

❤thanks for your comments

[@mattabesta]

The activity has calmed and the weather office reports it catagorizes it as normal background activity and the alert has been lifted.

[@Mikkelltheimmortal]

I was getting sleepy eyes from reading geology study on line so I decided to watch a bit geology videos instead, this was at the top of my recommend list

[@williebeamish5879]

Love the thumbnail. Icelandic horses. Nice.

[@elizabethroberts6215]

Always thought Katla, or Hekla were volcanoes’ to watch since 2010’s Ejya eruption……

[@ulfsam-mule-son9726]

Can someone elaborate on harmonic tremors? What the accuracy level is making predictions of eruptions based primarily on HT's (i.e., what percentage of moderate-large eruptions occur without them - catching us off guard - versus what percentage of eruptions predicted by HT activity turn out to not result in notable eruptions)? From a quick online read it sounds like a feature that has become an assumption in the predictive sciences...but with all science assumptions are one of the biggest sources of error in experimentation. So I'm curious about how strong an assumption the association of HTs with dangeous magmatic movement has become and whether there are any 'factions' out there that are less confident in relying on this correlation when it comes to predicting volcanic activity (given that correlation is not causation)?

[@retropipes8863]

Glacial outburst floods are a unique hazard, as they're both violent and hard to predict. Even if no eruption occurs soon, caution is advised.

[@jenniferbeyer6412]

It's understandable that the volcanoes there can be reacting to the large quakes around the world. Or it is spring and the ice could be melting and getting close to the magma chamber. It is something to watch. Also any new or increase in gas emissions? And increase in the water temperature. Hopefully it is just some normal changes. Stay safe and be alert.

[@01i_gaming13]

Hey geologyhub im suposed to go to iceland for 14 months soon to work on a farm and that farm is quite close to the volcano

[@Mp57navy]

Best of luck. Carry your phone with you at all times, civil defense will immediately send out warnings as soon as anything sneezes. After that you have 2-6 hours to get your ass away.

[@cacogenicist]

I suppose 3 and 4 are not entirely mutually exclusive. You could have some unimpeded magma movement at greater depths, affecting hydrothermal activity.

[@nicolasnicolas3889]

Boom!

[@BrandonFox720]

Watch out for changelings 😮

[@BadWeatherfreak]

Volcan Fuego in Guatemala erupting now same in Colombia

[@alicemcdonald7358]

Iceland is very active

[@leptonsoup337]

We have been waiting for Katla's next eruption for a while and I suspect we will be waiting for a while longer.

[@TheSpaceEnthusiast-vl6wx]

Katla is indeed a dangerous volcano, although it is not likely to erupt now. Thanks, but why were the 2 other videos deleted?

[@TheDanEdwards]

See his Community post.

[@RobertDPore]

They were old, out of date rough drafts containing copyrighted images that he posted by accident.

[@wildlifeisthewealthofnatur5457]

It has a 100% chance to erupt in our lifetime atleast as a vei5.

[@skychaserthedragon2046]

That's just my aunt Grr'Sn'kh; last I checked, she's hibernating in that area and she rolls over in her sleep every few years. ...I hope that volcano doesn't increase its activity because of it. She gets cranky if she doesn't get enough sleep

[@TheKeenTribe]

If Katla erupts ..... OH MAN

[@yzScott]

@GeologyHub, have you ever been to Iceland yourself?

[@JGProspecting]

He visited the last eruption yes

[@grokeffer6226]

👍👍👍

[@genehasenbuhler2594]

Fifth possibility- tremors cause by large movement in the glacier itself!

[@ulfsam-mule-son9726]

I can't stand shallow earthquakes - they never admit their own faults. 🥁

[@Bildgesmythe]

Drum roll😂 cymbal crash

[@RedcoatsReturn]

I live your channel 😊😊👍👍 What I don’t understand…the Earth’s core should be cooling….but…some say….that nuclear processes are hotting up the Earth’s core. Is it true? A video about the heat generation under the mantle would be very interesting.

[@ronnie1394]

Kermi

[@owenjackson2390]

New earthquake swarm at the summit including a magnitude 4.4

[@00BillyTorontoBill]

Flying there tomorrow.... so.. crank it to hard 7...lol

[@bachsi45]

They changed the yellow alert back to green after a few days. So, its all fine. No panic please

[@tanemahutaa]

wowow

[@katlakristbjornsdottir9000]

My name is Katla

[@fredrik.og.cato.]

Keep calm:)

[@Erik-gg2vb]

Keep us informed. If it is like the last one I might go there and spectate.

[@papasmjordeig]

An eruption at Katla would not be anywhere close to being as safe as the Fagradalsfjall eruptions of 2021 and 2022, Katla would produce a highly explosive eruption which on its own is very dangerous, on the top of a glacier on top of that. Flooding and ash fall would prevent any civilians from being allowed to go anywhere near this eruption

[@TheSpaceEnthusiast-vl6wx]

Definitely!

[@hobamasucs]

Yep! Please don't go stand on the rim of this Volcano hoping to get a GREAT VIEW of an eruption !

[@ThatOpalGuy]

so basically, Katla is fracking.

[@shipofthesun]

Yoiks!

[@m.gwincinski6949]

I think the whole island is getting ready for Eurovision finals.

[@bouteilledeau1463]

Bro, that's like your third upload today, with the other 2 being deleted. Wouldn't want you to overwork yourself making videos...

[@jjMcCartan9686]

So it could erupt but more than likely won't.

[@bofpwet9500]

➕

[@gamedoutgamer]

3:35 this might be a marriage issue.

[@tomcook5813]

Just imagine panning gold in those rivers 😊

[@Discotekh_Dynasty]

Knowing Iceland it’s probably wizards or some shit

[@aquilarossa5191]

My city has almost 2 million people and sits on a volcanic field of about 53 volcanos. Most folks think they are extinct. Nope. The field is dormant and could become active at any time. Hopefully it does not disrupt my wi-fi 🤣 Where I lived a bit further south is still an active zone. The lake there is the crater of one of history's most violent super volcanoes. Taupo. I lved on its shore. There are a couple of beaches on the lake that have hot water. A lot of folk do not even know the explosive history of the lake, while plenty of the people who do know think it is extinct. Nope. It's just taking a nap. What surprised me was what happened to my home port down in the South Island. Lyttleton. It was hit really hard during the earthquakes. I did not know the hills that form that harbour were formed by volcanos, nor did I expect Christchurch to be hit with earthquakes. Wellington is the city expected to have the big one. A mega thrust. So far they have been lucky. Another snippet I learned is that NZ is now considered a continent. Zealandia. Some might dispute that, but they are probably Australians. It's massive, with something like 80% of its area submerged. This year it is not the ground giving us hassles. It's the sky. So much heavy rain. Floods etc. Just an hour ago the emergency warning thing came over my phone. Safe where I am, but plenty of folks will be flooded today by the look of things. The mythology is that the god Maui fished the island up out of the ocean. I joke that he does not like what we have done with the place, so is trying to hose it back into the sea.

[@GamingCeo420]

Time to get my belt

[@houseworkvids]

oh no, actor duplicates will start marching out of the melted glacier now

[@gaba023]

Seems somewhat like natural fracking.

[@williamhanley7031]

Why say 64 months. Tell me the reason you don't just say years. WTF.

[@TheSpaceEnthusiast-vl6wx]

If you want Geology Hub to say 5.33 and so on years, sure.

[@michaeldeierhoi4096]

How long does it take to divide 64 by 12 to years plus months?? 🙄

[@TheSpaceEnthusiast-vl6wx]

Correct, 64 months is 5.33 years. The decimals of .33 go on forever. It is also the same as 5 years and 4 months.

[@tonynagy2042]

🤔I wonder if solar flares(CME) directed at Earth could somehow affect volcanic activity, just like it does the aurora borealis?

[@ryanwatterson4038]

It dousnt affect the aurora, it is the aurora borealis The aurora is charged particles interacting with our magnetosphere But I don't discount the possibility that the sun can influence the earth's core

[@hanrockabrand95]

Is it just me, or are volcanos around the world misbehaving?

[@jenniferofholliston5426]

It’s not just you, it’s the internet.

[@Stevobulfer]

I thought this too when I started on the geologyhub train

[@gruntgamer4204]

California is in for a rude wake-up call within the next year or two I believe. If not in the coming months.

[@melodyszadkowski5256]

😂

[@hanrockabrand95]

I just want to know who raised these volcanos so I can give them a piece of my mind. 😒

[@michaeldomansky8497]

Almost full moon!😊

[@Sphynx93rkn]

😐

[@EatsLikeADuck]

It is but the moon has nothing to do with eruptions.

[@KathrynsWorldWildfireTracking]

@@EatsLikeADuck So: You think a gravitational force strong enough to pull the ocean dozens of feet up/down as tides, each day, on every coast - somehow only effects liquid above the surface, but not just below it?

[@EatsLikeADuck]

@@KathrynsWorldWildfireTracking Yes. Because science.

[@michaeldomansky8497]

@@EatsLikeADuck 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Oh, but it does indeed!

[@geoffhunter7704]

Katla is a very bad girl when she erupted in 1560 BC it caused weather changes that badly effected the Mediterranean Bronze Age for years!

[@Iambrendanjames]

AI voice? I've been messing with it and I make music so my ears pick up a lot.*

[@Sphynx93rkn]

Apparently it's his voice 😂😂

[@EatsLikeADuck]

Definitely not an AI voice.

[@Iambrendanjames]

@@EatsLikeADuck it's the shakiness in the sound towards the halfway point. If no one hears it may w I am trippin which is fine. I have been messing with AI and the sound has a similar shakiness that I can pick out and it might just be something in the digitization when recording too.

[@TheSpaceEnthusiast-vl6wx]

NOT an AI.

[@Iambrendanjames]

@@TheSpaceEnthusiast-vl6wx yes I agree it's just a dataminer and aggregator and it only gives us replies based on what the most likely response Is to the prompt you've given it based on an algorithm and whatever dataset provided. Lol AI is a lot shorter...

[@joshsmith3650]

I really enjoy the videos. Does this one erupt similar to (don’t make fun of me) Fagradjs….abcdefg

[@papasmjordeig]

No, Katla is a highly explosive and powerful volcano, the Fagradalsfjall (😉) eruptions were more of a hawaiian/effusive type fissure erultions

[@joshsmith3650]

@@papasmjordeig ok thank you. Sounds like fun to watch assuming no towns and people get wiped out from the Lahars