BBC VIDEO - New Icelandic Volcano Eruption Could Have Global Impact

bbc.co.uk ^ | 2 December 2011 | Jane O'Brien

[VU4G10]

Eruption 'long overdue'

Even that caused significant flooding, washing away a bridge across the country's main highway and blocking the only link to other parts of the island for several days.

"The July 9 event seems to mark the beginning of a new period of unrest for Katla, the fourth we know in the last half century," says Professor Pall Einarsson, who has been studying volcanoes for 40 years and works at the Iceland University Institute of Earth Sciences.

"The possibility that it may include a larger eruption cannot be excluded," he continues. "Katla is a very active and versatile volcano. It has a long history of large eruptions, some of which have caused considerable damage."

The last major eruption occurred in 1918 and caused such a large glacier meltdown that icebergs were swept by the resulting floods into the ocean.

The volume of water produced in a 1755 eruption equalled that of the world's largest rivers combined.

Thanks to the great works of historic literature known as the Sagas, Iceland's volcanic eruptions have been well documented for the last 1,000 years.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-15995845

[frithguild]

The July 9 event seems to mark the beginning of a new period of unrest for Katla, the fourth we know in the last half century

At least we can spell it!

[Sudetenland]

2012, baby! It’s coming!!! “Mutating” neutrinos are already heating up the core of the Earth.

[Lionheartusa1]

Carbon tax the worlds volcanoes .

[OldGuard1]

And, unlike Grímsvötn last year, which most people thought they could pronounce when they were actually butchering it (it’s really more like “KREEMS-viht”), Katla is pronounced roughly the way it’s spelled (”a” as in “father”, and all consonants as expected)

If you know some Icelandic, words like Eyjafjallajökull aren’t that tricky (at least there are no trilled “r”s in there), but I can see how to someone who doesn’t know the language that could be challenging — number one, your eyes don’t see that it’s a compound word and thus where to break it up (Eyja-Fjalla-Jökull: Island-Mountain-Glacier (three common words)).

[Donald Rumsfeld Fan]

Volcanoes release more than 130 million tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere every year. This colorless, odorless gas usually does not pose a direct hazard to life because it typically becomes diluted to low concentrations very quickly whether it is released continuously from the ground or during episodic eruptions. But in certain circumstances, CO2 may become concentrated at levels lethal to people and animals. Carbon dioxide gas is heavier than air and the gas can flow into in low-lying areas; breathing air with more than 30% CO2 can quickly induce unconsciousness and cause death. In volcanic or other areas where CO2 emissions occur, it is important to avoid small depressions and low areas that might be CO2 traps. The boundary between air and lethal gas can be extremely sharp; even a single step upslope may be adequate to escape death.

[BullDog108]

CO₂ killed a Ski Patroller at Mammoth Mountain a few years back. The gas was seeping out of the ground and had collected in a small hollow that trapped him.