Badaboom Volcano

Over the last few weeks you may have noticed that one of Iceland's many volcanoes has been getting more active, generating hundreds of volcanoes in a day.  Bárðarbunga is one of the volcanoes underneath the huge ice sheet of  Vatnajökull and though it is a mafic eruption it does have the potential to create similar aviation problems that Eyjafjallajökull caused in 2010 because of its similar sub-glacial setting.  So far there has been a little ash and a fissure eruption as a dyke reached the surface.  The aviation warnings  have fluctuated from yellow to orange and then back again.  Perhaps the bigger hazard is from a jökulhlaup that can be triggered by the melting of the glacial ice from the volcano's heat.  It will be worth keeping an eye on what's happening with this.  

For the latest updates, check out the website of the Icelandic Meteorological Office.

The beauty of columnar joints

Columnar joints in igneous rocks make some of the most spectacular sites in geology, especially if you travel around Iceland.  Take a look here to see some of the best from around the world.

I also like how these distinctive geological structures can get used.  There are suppliers who can sort you out with columns of different sizes for your garden; they can be used as the plinth for sculptures, benches and bollards in the street, garden tables, memorials and (my own favourite) gravestones.  What would you use them for?

  

Thanks to Rosie for sending the link.

A new source of energy

The American Geophysical Union conference continues to throw up exciting developments in geological research including the possibility of extracting hydrogen from olivine.  By speeding up the natural geochemical process of serpentinisation hydrogen can be liberated from olivine crystals giving a potential source of carbon-free energy.

All you need is a pressure cooker (to give a pressure 2,000 times that of the atmosphere and a few hundred degrees of heat) made with some diamonds and some ruby to speed up the reaction and you can make your own hydrogen.

This could make Iceland rich again.  Can you work out why?

Ash and Crash

What is the link between geology and books?  In one of the most geologically remakable places on Earth it is a clearer link than you might imagine.  In a place where 10% of the population will be a published author a combination of catastrophic events (both geological and financial) can inspire great works of fiction and non-fiction.  Iceland's black lava fields, its steaming solfataras, with its towering volcanoes and fairytale streams also make it the perfect setting for stories of all kinds.

This is just one of the statistics that show the unique qualities of this place; my favourite Icelandic book is an insight into the quirks that make this place special called "The Little Book of the Icelanders" by Alda Sigmundsdottir.