Between these volcanoes and the crashing Euro, this may seem to Europe like the decadus horriblus.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37371442/ns/world_news-europe

2nd Iceland volcano issues warning

Scientists say powerful Katla is ‘close to failu[b]re’[/b]

LONDON - A second, much larger volcano in Iceland is showing signs that it may be about to erupt, scientists have warned.

Since the start of the Eyjafjallajökull eruption, which caused cancellations of thousands of flights in Europe because of a giant ash cloud, there has been much speculation about neighboring Katla.


And even more Iceland volcanoes pose threat as a busy cycle may be upon them.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article7127706.ece

The three other volcanoes cited by Thordarson as being potentially close to a large eruption are Grimsvotn, Hekla and Askja — all of which are bigger than Eyjafjallajokull.

From the first article: "Icelandic President Ólafur Grímsso has warned governments around Europe that a significant eruption at the volcano is close. "We [Iceland] have prepared ..."

Does anyone know exactly how they have prepared?

Sue

The volcano only affects you if you want to fly or rely on the airline industry. And a cheap currency makes it easier to sell exports. Can't see it being a decade of doom
The Sock

Yes. They are all 'about to blow.' But that means sometime between tomorrow and 85 years from now...

My thoughts exactly. Hearing a geologist say "soon" is often like an astronomer saying "nearby".

On the other hand investing in research on reliable 3-D mapping of eruption plumes would be a good idea...

At least we have half a prayer of being able to pronounce this one!

I think the article is just rehashing old news. I saw this claim at the height of the volcanic ash thing. Apparently it was controversial among the geologists. I haven't heard of any new evidence being brought to the table.

That being said, it makes sense to make preparations. We know this big volcano will erupt, but don't know when.

Those who lived near previously Fuji-like Mt. St. Helens at the time will recall that from its first indications of awakening to massive explosion took eight weeks. I lived on Mt. Hood at the time and will be forever mindful how quickly those peaks can go from serene to extreme. As we were so mindful in the summer of 1980 when a series of tremors occurred on Hood soon after St. Helens had added the phrase "harmonic tremors" to our vocabulary. Turned out the tremors were a false alarm, the USFS had blasted a bunch of tree stumps near newly installed USGS seismicity monitors.

Europe's in far more immediate danger from its member nations' economies and that alone is a harbinger of a dreary decade. My 401(k) has already suffered a decadus horriblus. I pray for an equity decadus decentus or even fabulousness before I die.

It's just interesting to me that amidst the man-made mess, Mother Nature could pile on in that region with a geologic event. Prior to this spring I had been unaware that Iceland's volcanism was any kind of a threat to Europe. Iceland's eruptions that I can recall (Heimaey) or had read about (Surtsey) were localized in their impact.

The Jet Age is a speck in time compared to geologic time. In the relatively brief geologic time periods between eruptions of a volcanic peak, a whole lot has likely changed in the surrounding human civilization and air space. This is something residents in proximity to Italy's Mt. Vesuvius are mindful of -- will the next eruption there be on the scale of 1944, 1631 or 79 AD? No one knows what or when, they can only lay odds, hope for the best, prepare, deny, forget or move.

Oregon's Mt. Hood last erupted in a big way in the 1790s, not long before Lewis and Clark came by. The next one of any significance would be a different ballgame there. Things to ponder but not lose sleep over.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnew...ety-threat.html

http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2000/fs036-00/

[i]The first sign of activity at Mount St. Helens in the spring of 1980 was a series of small earthquakes that began on March 16. After hundreds of additional earthquakes, steam explosions on March 27 blasted a crater through the volcano's summit ice cap. Within a week the crater had grown to about 1,300 feet in diameter and two giant crack systems crossed the entire summit area. By May 17, more than 10,000 earthquakes had shaken the volcano and the north flank had grown outward at least 450 feet to form a noticeable bulge.[/i]

On May 18, ka-boom.

Geologists say that volcanoes always give warning.

Some people listen, some people don't. With St. Helens, 57 people didn't.

Sue

The headline is a bit alarmist. While it is true that the neigbouring volcano is more dangerous and larger and it does have a history of going off within months-year of the smaller volcano there does not appear to be much seismic activity associated with this volcano at the moment. They even say as much in the article but at the same time they say there is evidence that it is dangerously close to blowing it's top. Huh? Which is it? The evidence doesn't say both things!

Sounds to me that the reporter is not doing his job and clarifying his research properly. Secondly it seems that every "reporter" on the planet seems to enjoy adding their sensationalist National Enquirer type headlines to any story they write these days.

If it blow, it blows. Make preparations now but take any media reports with a few grains of salt and don't give into sensationalism. If travelling to Europe make sure your travel insurance can cover you for unplanned stays or for making alternate travel arrangements.