September 22, 2014 - Eruption at Bardarbunga, Iceland (false color)

Eruption at Bardarbunga, Iceland (false color)

Iceland is often shrouded under widespread cloud cover, often making it difficult to catch glimpses of events on the ground from space. In September, 2014, each cloud-free glimpse of the area due north of the Vatnajokull glacier has proven spectacular.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Terra satellite captured this stunning false-color image of north-eastern Iceland on September 11. This image uses a combination of infrared and visible light (MODIS bands 7-2-1) to highlight the heat signatures of the erupting lava and to distinguish glacial ice from clouds. Ice appears light blue, vegetation appears electric green, rivers are deep blue and the ocean appears black. Clouds are light blue to white, and the volcanic plume also appears bright blue. A streak of yellow-orange can be seen aligned southwest to northeast in dark brown rocky terrain north of the bright blue glacial cap - this is flowing lava in the Holuhraun lava field. The steaming, gaseous volcanic plume blows to the northeast.

By some accounts, Holuhraun has spewed more lava this month alone than has any other Icelandic volcano since the 19th century. As of September 9, the new lava flow had been reported at 10 miles long, covering about 20 sq km (8 sq mi). By September 20, the University of Iceland reported that the lava field had grown to 38 square km (14 sq miles).

The plume from Holuhraun is rich with sulfur dioxide (SO2), a gas with the smell of rotten eggs that can cause respiratory problems in humans and animals. A blue haze of SO2 and aerosols has been observed downwind over several towns and villages in eastern Iceland. Scientists and other observers working near the eruption site have been evacuated several times and cautioned to keep gas masks handy due to noxious gases and shifting winds. Elevated levels of SO2 have been detected as far as Ireland, Greenland, and Scandinavia.

Although the eruptive action is hottest at the Holuhraun fissure, an eruption at the sub-glacial caldera of Bardabunga still remains a possibility. Seismic activity continues to shake the ground, and the caldera of Bardabunga has been subsiding. On the morning of September 21, a magnitude 5.5 quake struck the region, followed by a 25 cm sink of the Bardabunga caldera. The aircraft advisory level remains at “orange”.

Image Facts
Satellite: Terra
Date Acquired: 9/11/2014
Resolutions: 1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 7,2,1
Image Credit: Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC