That leaves three areas of interest: the northeast rim, the southeast region, and central-northeast region. The location of the 1918 eruption is in the southeast region while the location of the 1715 eruption is in the central-northeast region. I don't have the data or the tools to show depth and 3-dimensional renderings of the earthquakes (I am not a vulcanologist, but an interested observer of geophysical events), but I'm sure that would be telling in some way.
The conclusion is that Katla has not yet concluded this portion of its history. The frequency of earthquake occurrence has been fairly constant with a few fits of exciting higher amounts once in a while. One of the real clues will be when the number of earthquakes begin to rise significantly, as what typically happens prior to any eruption. LINK
Editor's Note:The information and data contained in the above post by The Modern Survival Blog is excellent and correlates well with our own research. They are much more visual in their presentations, a talent I have yet to master so Kudos to Lauren & Ken who are middle aged hard working Americans. This Blog contains excellent information on Icelandic Volcanoes and is worth visiting.
Yes, there has been activity at the Katla Volcano, however, based on what we know about volcanoes in general, the aforementioned seismic activity may or may not indicate that Katla is readying itself for an eruption. To us, the stronger indication that Katla will soon erupt is based on historic data and documented past eruptions that always seem to closely follow an Eyjafjallajokull eruption, usually within a few months but seldom longer than a year. There is one documented eruption of Katla that occurred 1 1/2 years after an Eyjafjallajokull eruption, but that was the exception, not the "rule" or data set that we have been analyzing. If anything, increased seismic activity at Katla only adds further evidence that the Katla Volcano is extremely likely to erupt in the near future and to survive a major eruption of Katla, or even the Hekla Volcano, disaster preparation is the key, and if your country is not reacting to the lessons of history and are ignoring the Katla danger, said preparations will have to be the responsibility of those who believe history rather than politicians. If you wish to keep an eye on seismic activity at the Eyjafjallajokull, Katla, and Hekla volcanoes I am posting a visual link to real-time quake activity in the specific area where these volcanoes are located. Please keep in mind that this link only holds 48 hours of data, so at times it may appear OK and at other times will show several quakes:
Mà ½rdalsjà ¶kull earthquakes during the last 48 hours
Please note that the above information is provided by the Icelandic Meteorological Office, a source that I believe is beyond reproach.
So, what do you do if Katla or Hekla erupts and it occurs with little or no warning?
First and foremost, today or tomorrow at the latest, go out and purchase surgical masks that will help to stop volcanic ash from entering your lungs. These masks can be considered to be dual-purpose; if they aren't needed for volcanic ash, if and when we are presented with a long-overdue pandemic you will already have some protection for another up and coming disaster scenario.
If you home has a slanted roof, make sure that you have easy access to said roof and you own snow shovels to get that ash off of your roof as quickly as possible. (Volcanic ash is extremely heavy and build-ups on your roof can and will cause it to collapse.) The Katla and Hekla Volcanoes are extremely dangerous and do have the potential to spread ash over Great Britain and possibly some areas of Europe, and in much higher concentrations than the Eyjafjallajokull Volcano did which primarily disrupted air travel. There is no modern data that indicates what the health issues that a major eruption of Katla could have upon the European community; keeping in mind that Katla is at least ten (10) times more dangerous than Eyjafjallajokull, if not more, preparing for such a disaster is inexpensive and could help to save the lives of those with chronic health problems, the elderly, and those who have to venture outdoors during periods of heavy ash fall without breathing in dangerous volcanic ash.
One more issue needs to be considered. None of us are aware of how "major" an eruption or how long such an eruption of the Katla Volcano will last. If it is a long-term eruption and there is significant ash fall in Britain and other areas, it will very likely compromise local water supplies. Add to your list fresh drinking water stored in plastic containers with a small amount of bleach added to ensure that it will remain safe to drink. As long as you're storing the essentials make sure that you have enough food to last at least a month. With air travel likely being shut-down and the possible contamination of local crops, storing an adequate emergency food supply is simply insurance that in the event of most disasters/emergencies, your family has a better chance of survival than those who didn't bother to prepare for what seems to be an inevitable event.
Other Relevant Articles:
Increase Of Earthquakes And Volcanic Activity Are Caused By Climate Change
Locals Believe Iceland's Katla Volcano Will Erupt In Five Days, And They Could Be Correct Updated
Japan's 7.0 And Chile's 8.8 Earthquakes Are They Related? Can we expect more?
CNN Oversimplifies The Danger of Yellowstone National Park
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