CODE ORANGE: The Risk Of An ‘Explosive Subglacial Eruption’ In Iceland Just Went Up
Myles Udland
BusinessInsider.com
Aug. 18, 2014
There’s a chance a huge volcano in Iceland could blow.
Lorcan Roche Kelly at Agenda Research tipped us off to the news that the Icelandic government on Monday changed the status of Bardarbunga, a volcano in Iceland located under Europe’s largest glacier, to “orange,” meaning there is a heightened risk of eruption and ash cloud.
A report from Reuters on Monday noted that this is the second-highest risk level on the government’s five-level risk scale.
“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,” said Iceland’s Met Office.
Kelly noted, however, that Bardarbunga sits under 700m of ice, or nearly half a mile’s worth, and to break through this an eruption would have to be quite massive.
Reuters noted that the 2010 eruption of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull volcano affected more than 10 million air travelers in Europe and cost $1.7 billion.
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