Live Video Of Iceland’s Bardarbunga Volcano, Currently Erupting Beneath A Huge Glacier

Eric Mack
Forbes.com

Magma has been on the move for several days under the surface of Iceland, which has been jarred by its strongest earthquakes in the past twenty years in the process, and now scientists at the island nation’s Meteorological Office say a small volcanic eruption has started in a section of the huge Bardarbunga (Bárðarbunga) volcano that is under the northern part of Europe’s largest glacier.

“The seismic activity at Bárðarbunga area in Northern Vatnajökull increased significantly after 10:00 hrs this morning. Scientists believe that the dyke is propagating to the north,” Iceland’s Civil Protection Department posted on its English-language website.

The department says that so far the eruption is considered a minor event, and they can’t yet say if it will remain contained under the glacier’s ice cap. Icelandic Coast Guard aircraft are flying over the area right now and have not yet spotted any plumes of smoke or ash that could indicate the eruption has breached the surface of the ice. The meteorological office estimates that the ice on top of the eruption is between 150 and 400 meters thick.  More data from the equipment on board these flights is expected to become available later today.

So far, there is no indication of imminent flooding caused by glacier melt. Tourists have begun to be evacuated from the nearby Jökulsárgljúfur canyon and Dettifoss waterfall, but evacuations have not yet been called for residents of the nearby areas of Kelduhverfi, Öxarfjördur and Núpasveit. If you do happen to be in those areas, the police say to keep a close eye on the news and your mobile phone for updates.

The Meteorolgical Office has raised the aviation alert color code from orange to red, the highest level of alert indicating that an eruption is now in progress. There’s been no word of any flight cancellations just yet, but surely airlines are keeping a close eye on events in Iceland. When the island’s much smaller Eyjafjallajökull volcano erupted in 2010, sending dangerous glass-like particles into myriad flight paths, over 100,000 flights were cancelled.

Keep an eye on this post for updates throughout the weekend. Just about 90 minutes prior to the publication of this story, the Meteorological Office in Iceland also reported another strong tremor with a magnitude of 4.5.  Bardarbunga clearly remains restless.

Update: The latest report from the Meteorological Office says the thickness of the ice over the eruption and the volume of the lava in contact with it remain uncertain: “It could be 0-20 hours before lava reaches the surface of the ice. It is also possible that the lava will not break through the ice, and the eruption could remain subglacial.“ 

While Iceland’s airports remain open at the moment, a section of airspace over the glacier has been closed.

Watch a live feed of cams monitoring the area below: