Aviation advisory issued due to Icelandic volcano activity

Seismologists continue to monitor conditions at Iceland’s Bardarbunga volcano, which has resulted in an aviation advisory due to the possibility of an eruption.

On Wednesday morning (Aug. 20), the Icelandic Meteorological Office reported that more than 1,000 small earthquakes took place in the vicinity of the volcano between 12 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Aug. 19. According to the report, the majority of the quakes were magnitude three or under and occurred mainly to the east of the volcano. On Monday, the office reported ‘very strong indications of ongoing magma movement’ which resulted in an Orange aviation advisory (the office’s second-highest aviation warning), indicating that the volcano ‘shows heightened or escalating unrest with increased potential of eruption.’

According to a report by Reuters, tourists and park rangers were evacuated from a mostly-uninhabited area north of Bardarbunga on Wednesday morning as a safety precaution.

The activity at Bardarbunga recalls the 2010 eruption of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull volcano, which affected millions of air travellers due to the presence of airborne volcanic ash.

Photo – Iceland’s Bardarbunga volcano in 1996 (Courtesy of Icelandic Met Office).