Iceland Volcano Refills As Next Eruption Looms: Geologist Analysis

An update by geology professor Shawn Willsey on Iceland's Reykjanes peninsula. A look at the latest data and news.
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[@shawnwillsey]

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[@RWBHere]

That earthquake was M5.1 on 6 October.

[@williamharberts5514]

The hardest working, and probably the busiest, public facing person in geology strikes again. Great coverage, no hype, all science. I love it.

[@NonnoNao]

Just came back from iceland, no eruption unfortunately, but the Aurora Gods were nice to me. Thank you for your geology lessions, i've enjoyed Iceland even more, snapped a lot of cool outcrop photos. Thank you Professor Shawn

[@verolawson3898]

Well, I think the people of Iceland might be glad your desire did not get satisfied... -

[@NonnoNao]

@verolawson3898 I meant I was hoping to see the eruption that started in August, but I landed a couple of weeks after it ceased spewing rock

[@verolawson3898]

@@NonnoNao ah... ok.

[@bethlowell7336]

Thank you Shawn. Your updates are always very insightful and informative.

[@gladysdecelles9951]

Thank you Shawn and Mandy-Jo. Always informative and I appreciate all the work you both put in to do these videos

[@marymachunis3778]

Always appreciate these updates and appreciate Amanda Jo's diligence in getting you news.

[@juliemurdoch348]

Thanks for the update Shawn and Amanda Jo! It very much appreciated 😊

[@sheilagraham8543]

Thank you Shawn. I always appreciate your updates and the support from Amanda-Jo.👍😀.

[@sandrine.t]

Another helpful update, thanks Shawn! No snow here in Brittany but we saw the Northern Lights last night, what a breathtaking sight!!! Also, I hope you will get full access to the article in Science eventually and tell us all about it :) And thank you Amanda Jo as always for your unwavering help. You guys are truly the best! Have a nice weekend, take care :)

[@OpaSpielt]

16:50 I learned from another video of a local Icelandic person that they are looking for an alternative to replace the Reykjavik Domestic Airport RKV, which is directly south of the city centre of Reykjavik. This would reduce the noise for people living in those parts of Reykjavik. The location of Keflavik International Airport KEF will remain unchanged. Of course, the possible location of the new airport close or on top of a geologically young lava field isn't the best choice for sure. Thank you for your interesting video. 👋🏻👴🏼

[@Sindrijo]

I'm Icelandic, the idea of placing an airport there is monumentally stupid in my view, they should focus on placing it somewhere that won't be in danger long term and the only suitable place that isn't too far from Reykjavík is somewhere on the peninsulas that are west of the town Borgarnes. Unfortunately that area is bird paradise with lots of bogs and lakes...

[@shawnwillsey]

Thanks for the clarification.

[@Mamadeb-17]

Thanks to you and Amanda Jo for keeping us informed ✨

[@jacquie-h4530]

Thank you for the update, Shawn.

[@raenbow66]

Good morning, Shawn. Great to see you! ❤

[@brucedymock6635]

Thanks great to see you again doing this it’s been a massive effort on your part thanks again

[@grandparocky]

Thank You Amanda-Jo--- and Shawn! I was wondering what was up! How about that Mount Adams!

[@skson5838]

The idea behind the potential airport in Hvassahraun is as a replacement for the airport in downtown Reyjavík and as a alternate for air traffic going into Keflavík.

[@shaunpapworth4269]

Thank you Shawn as always another very informative information for Icelandic volcano system 👍

[@susiesue3141]

Thanks for sharing you're very informative video. Very much appreciated!😊

[@leptonsoup337]

Fun note! I remember reading about all of the money they spent on a feasibility study on this new airport a few years back despite geologists telling them how stupid this idea was. Talk about public funds being flushed straight down the toilet.

[@leptonsoup337]

I was just on the Met Office´s page and there IS an update from today... although it´s in Icelandic ;P

[@shonaguthrie848]

Thanks for your update ❤

[@DianeSmith-h3t]

As the old saying goes eh… no peace for the wicked.. with these eruptions. Time to start looking and watching again. Thank you.. Di..Cumbria.

[@hardrockgirl5844]

Many thanks for this. Great to have these updates.👍🏻 Not sure if I'll make the live. I'm coming out to USA next Tuesday for a road trip! 😄. May be boondocking with no signal .....

[@rosemaryhenderson494]

Thanks for the update and interesting news. Any idea when we will hear something about your possible Iceland field trip next spring?

[@williamlloyd3769]

If the airport road was compromised - chaos until eruption was over and lava flow cooled enough to build a new road to open the blocked area. Taking the road through Grindavik, short ferry between the capital and Keflavik or transport helicopter would be doable but expensive. PS - there is an older airport in the capital - Reykjavík Domestic Airport (RKV), that could be used in a pinch. There has been talk over the years of closing it and redeveloping the area as a new area of the city.

[@Rhombohedral]

I saw the Bardarbunga earthquake live at a global earthquake monitor, it was a 5.0-5.1 quake

[@Trex531]

Great update Prof. Shawn! I hope Icelandic authorities take note of your comment regarding relocation of the International Airport. Further east or west would be much better.

[@codyedwards6922]

Shawn is live to give you the chance to meet Randall. We will be going down the whole Boneville flood area next May. I was thinking we could maybe meet for coffee or lunch and talk about rock climbing, keeping our lands clean and public and maybe a little geology. I have some dirt samples from Tammany bar, we would like tested for plant growth rate between stratification layers. Please. I will get in touch with the office, I know you are busy. Thank you for being an awesome teacher, I’ve learned so much from you and loved geology underfoot! Much love from Cody

[@katesommerville7217]

It seems so long since I watched an Icelandic Volcano Video, I’ve missed them. Thanks so much for this, I can catch up 😊. Meanwhile i was dodging Hurricanes in Florida! Nature has me totally fascinated. Think I felt safer in Iceland! Anyway, never going to put me off travelling this wondrous planet of ours.

[@xwiick]

Thanks for all the hard work on these videos!

[@creightondaniels7748]

Ps and yes we have a thermal power plant here. When the rain falls the steam is awsome. Everyware. The winter steam off the lake creates a morning fog every morning.......................

[@Hotelechomike]

Much of the runway at Kona airport (Hawaii) is built on a relatively recent lava flow: the 1801 Huʻehuʻe flow from Hualālai. So there is a precident for building airports on recent lava flows!

[@creightondaniels7748]

Its exciting being a traveling volcanist myself, exept whare i live is way off the magma pocket!!!!!!!

[@mimic1205]

Fascinating science. Thanks for the update.

[@gregsanderson2470]

Thankx for the update. We're heading over in a couple of weeks. Mid November.

[@johnwelbourn3811]

Thanks Prof, great update

[@alasdairmunro1953]

A really helpful update, thanks Shawn 👍🏼😀

[@HH.......]

Thank you Shawn 😊 great update, our world 🌎 is fascinating 😊

[@discolemonade8794]

Shawn - thanks for the update! Could you delve deeper into the InSAR ground deformation monitoring images in a future update? Thank you ~ citizen scientists want to understand the rainbows! ♥💚💙

[@christinedaly2694]

Thank you Shawn great update very informative 😊

[@ChaosEarth-p8i]

what an informative video, thanks for sharing

[@aureaphilos]

Thanks for this eruption, Prof Shawn.

[@Steinninn]

The MET office did release an update just minutes after you uploaded your video. Good timing 🤣🤣

[@shawnwillsey]

Classic.

[@robbirobin9657]

Thanks so much, I’m catching up now 😊

[@creightondaniels7748]

Enjoy your tenure. Please look in to Konocti volcano, Norcal. Yes we have a massive magma pocket. A pleathera of feama wholes.( lack of earth quakes) and yes the crackes in my walls and the 30 ft half inch wide crake in my dirt drive way is indicative to ground lift.(Keksey ville. 3rd st.) Quite a ways from the pocket.. ps usgs black out....please....

[@michaelnancyamsden7410]

Enjoy your intellectual, calm, sensible approach. The ground defamation charts are wondrous. I was wondering if you could comment about how mountains and storms cause devastating false flood? Can terrain and rainfall be evaluated to guesstimate depths of flood. This is concerning how geography and weather interact. Helene's devastation brings this to mind. The low land along rivers is like coastal storms surge only faster?

[@NoVaxForMePal]

Don't suppose you know where i could get similar interferograms data for the UK?

[@JanetClancey]

Thanks Shawn 😊

[@brucetidwell7715]

That is almost comical! "We need a new airport, in case our old airport gets buried under lava." "Hey! Let's put here on top of this old lava flow." It's so recent the color of the ground hasn't even blended in, yet.

[@johncooper4637]

How does a magma chamber empty when there is an eruption? Is it gas that pushes the magma out?

[@Tugela60]

Heat.

[@hansschleichert7852]

Thanks!

[@susandavidson1691]

We have snow ❄️ on the mountains here in Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 as well 😊. Check the Cairngorms mountain cams ❤

[@eaglepursuit]

Do they have another small airport that can be enlarged to handle international flights?

[@toddclement4891]

Where the layers of lava have occurred, how deep is the lava now with all the layers on top of each other?

[@nozrep]

i wonder if the Iceland officials know why USAF chose the current airport/base location in the first place? Or if they have access to historical data on the decision? I mean I know it was the Cold War era 70 years ago but I imagine and speculate that USAF officials must have consulted with volcanologists back in those days? To be sure, they had nuclear bombers patrolling the Atlantic 24/7 for years. Nuclear warheads on base didn’t they? I admit, I am assuming that USAF simply must have tried to choose the “least” lava prone area, given that they did not want any nuclear warheads, or nuclear bombers either, getting run over by lava and you know… well… that would have been bad. So maybe there’s another less likely lava flow spot for a new airport?

[@EmtDude69]

Been watching and waiting to see what’s happening with Mt Adam here in Washington

[@jefferyporter9645]

Hello everyone

[@skyedog24]

You really do a good job trying to pronounce those words 🏆 I believe. Edit::; towns

[@nytsamlegt]

He is actually doing a great job, much better than expected. I think the reason is he has heard it from Icelandic speaking people maaaany times.

[@45KevinR]

​@@nytsamlegtit is impressive, I feel I can actually see Shawn *code switch* as he says the Icelandic names better than anyone could expect.

[@Godeater42]

Honestly, a new airport… closer to the volcanic system that could be active for up to 300 years. They need to be looking at these new eVtols that are developing rapidly and take them into account. They don’t need runways. Flatten out some land; put down some tarmac, get some strong mobile buildings that can be shifted to another prepared flat spot if Iceland coughs up more lava. Fly them from Scotland until their range is better etc. Build berms and dig channels around the whole area. Stock up on water pumps etc. All obvious stuff. Mobile hotels for volcano watchers. Really, nothing permanent should be built in around the area of the plate boundaries.

[@garnerjoyce606]

Ty for info

[@Boombasti_k]

I would be super happy about a video in which you show how you can analyze your observations and findings with the help of AI. what are the important data with which you have to feed the AI. I use the plausibility check of my observations through AI and it's a great help

[@jfmezei]

Mid November? I protest. I want my lava channel to keep me warm during Christmas, not november :--) On the airport: ferry service from Reykjavik and Keflavik would do. I know there are no absolutes, but is there a trend for eruptions to move westward? if so, then a new airport that is east of current eruptiosn would have lesser odds of lava flows even if it sits on relatively recent ones. (and one also has to looj at getting flat terrain which is liiely more of a priority for an airport.

[@gregsanderson2470]

We be there in a couple of weeks! Eruption? Lights?

[@shawnwillsey]

Maybe.

[@gregsanderson2470]

@shawnwillsey I'll hold you to it ;) Oh yeah, and clear blue sky, too.

[@garnerjoyce606]

Like airport subway?

[@artistjoh]

They need to look at the possibility of investing in a ferry connection between the airport and the capital in case the road is cut. There is already a harbor at Keflavik. It would be much cheaper than building a new airport. A ferry plus helicopter service could handle arrivals ands departures for the relatively short time the road would be cut. Perhaps invest in a simple grass airstrip nearer the capital and get a couple of twin engine prop aircraft, like the Twin Otter that can use simple temporary short airstrips (maybe even widen a straight bit of highway) so that smaller aircraft can ferry people to and from Keflavik. All of these options would be cheaper than building a second airport. Lava cutting the road near Grindavik involved only relatively short time spans measured in just weeks, so temporary solutions seem wiser than an expensive new airport, which could easily cost a billion dollars even for a small one. The new airport opening next year in Sydney cost 11 billion. Airports are expensive.

[@hplm16]

As the berms have proven successful in protecting the blue lagoon and power plant could the not built berm along the road. Would have the added benefit of stopping traffic slowing on the road to view an eruption as they wouldn’t be able to see it 😂

[@garnerjoyce606]

Would subway be better?

[@sim85oo]

Will there be yet another eruption on Iceland this year? Well, we'll see, Willsey...

[@sigisoltau6073]

I'm certain there'd be another eruption. If my estimate of the magma inflow being about 6 cubic meters per second is right based on the information I got, there should be about 20 million cubic meters of magma in the magma chamber.

[@garnerjoyce606]

Future planning

[@clydebennish2106]

Im just wondering - the population of iceland is well under half a million and unless im missing something the geology is not all that interesting. Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula seems more worthy of your attention with its earth quake and tsunami implications... even Stromboli would be more interesting.

[@johneberhard8412]

Maybe they could get a aircraft carrier then they would not have to worry

[@garnerjoyce606]

Fly over information

[@garnerjoyce606]

Time to get out of regions

[@theoriginalbabycub]

@shawnwillsey As someone who holds a position at the university you should be able to get access to periodicals they the uni library.

[@masterg6754]

why are so many of the earthquakes around the worlds ridges happening at the depth of 10km??? is there something significant going on at that depth? look at the last 30 days mag 2.5 on the usgs site,,, seems like something major might be happening

[@Tugela60]

It is the depth of the crust.

[@marionnadeau8457]

Thanks for the update, Shawn!