The aviation industry has been warned about the possibility of flight disruptions caused by activity at Iceland's largest volcano system Bardarbunga. It is located under the ice cap of the Vatnajokull glacier, in the country's south-west. The country's Met Office has raised the risk level to the aviation industry to orange - the fourth level on a five-level scale. The Met Office said in a statement there were “strong indications of ongoing magma movement”.
In 2010, the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland erupted and ash cloud resulted disrupted European airspace for six days. More than 100,000 flights were cancelled, affecting roughly 10 million people and costing billions. Though ash may not necessarily cloud the sky, its chemicals can damage aircraft engines. Now, another volcano in the country may be ready to do the same.
The earthquake activity started suddenly on Aug. 16 and has been nearly continuous since then, with most tremors less than magnitude 3 in size, which can rarely be felt by people at the surface. A magnitude-4 earthquake struck today, the strongest in the region since 1996.
However, the Met Office says that “Presently there are no signs of eruption, but it cannot be excluded that the current activity will result in an explosive subglacial eruption, leading to an outburst flood and ash emission.”
Bardarbunga volcano