New Scientific Study Places Santorini Volcano Eruption at 1560 BC

By Philip Chrysopoulos-Mar 31, 2020

File photo

Scientists using approximately dated tree-ring records from the East Mediterranean Bronze–Iron Age have reached the conclusion that the Minoan volcanic eruption of Thera (Santorini) occurred at around 1560 BC.

The method used in the study, which was published on the website for the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, was a chemical analysis of the dated tree-ring sequence which identified a chemical change in their growth environment around 1560 BC.

While requiring further substantiation, it is believed that this might well be evidence that the Thera eruption took place around that time.

According to the scientists, calendar-dated tree-ring sequences offer an extremely valuable resource for high-resolution paleoenvironmental reconstruction.

Where such records exist for a few limited geographic regions over the last 8,000 to 12,000 years, they have proven invaluable for creating precise and accurate timelines for past human and environmental interactions. The most valuable tool in the study was the Gordion tree-ring sequence.

In the study, examination of the newly dated Mediterranean tree-ring sequence between 1630 and 1500 BC using X-ray fluorescence revealed an unusual calcium anomaly around 1560 BC. This anomaly may be a potential marker for the approximate time of the eruption of Thera.

Subsamples of Juniperus excelsa wood from the East Mediterranean Bronze–Iron Age tree-ring chronology were taken from the base of the eastern outside wall of the Midas Mound Tumulus and from Kizlarkaya. These were remeasured and checked against the Gordion master chronology.

The study concludes: “Anchoring the Gordion tree-ring series more securely in time is an important contribution to improving timelines in the ancient East Mediterranean and maximizing the potential of this record as a paleoenvironmental resource.

“The first step toward this is the identification of the calcium anomaly around 1560 BC, which while clearly requiring replication and much further substantiation, opens up potential that may now be pursued toward finding an exact date for Thera.”

EASTER 
Brown hares and chickens were treated as 'gods,' not food when they arrived in Britain, research shows

by University of Exeter APRIL 10, 2020

Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Archaeological evidence shows that the first brown hares and chickens to arrive in Britain were buried with care and intact. There is no signs of butchery on bones examined and the ongoing research suggests the two animals were not imported for people to eat.

Work by experts from the Universities of Exeter, Leicester and Oxford is revealing when brown hares, rabbits and chickens were introduced to Britain, and how they became incorporated into modern Easter traditions.

The team has previously analyzed the earliest rabbit bone to be found in the country, which dates to the first/second century AD. New radiocarbon dates for bones found on sites in Hampshire (Houghton Down, Weston Down, Winnal Down and Winklebury Camp) and Hertfordshire (Blackhorse Road) suggests brown hares and chickens were introduced to Britain even earlier, arriving simultaneously in the Iron Age, between the fifth and the third century BC.

The discovery of buried skeletons fits historical evidence that neither animal was eaten until the Roman period, which began hundreds of years later.

Julius Caesar's De Bello Gallico says: "The Britons consider it contrary to divine law to eat the hare, the chicken, or the goose. They raise these, however, for their own amusement and pleasure." The third-century AD author, Dio Cassius reported that Queen Boudicca released a live hare in order to divine the outcome of her battle with the Romans, calling upon the goddess Andraste to secure their victory.

During the Roman period, both species were farmed and eaten, and rabbits were also introduced. But in AD 410 the Roman Empire withdrew from Britain causing economic collapse. Rabbits became locally extinct, while populations of chickens and brown hares crashed. Due to their scarcity at this time, chickens and hares regained their special status.

Professor Naomi Sykes, from the University of Exeter, who is leading the research, said: "Easter is an important British festival, yet none of its iconic elements are native to Britain. The idea that chickens and hares initially had religious associations is not surprising as cross-cultural studies have shown that exotic things and animals are often given supernatural status.

"Historical accounts have suggested chickens and hares were too special to be eaten and were instead associated with deities—chickens with an Iron Age god akin to Roman Mercury, and hares with an unknown female hare goddess. The religious association of hares and chickens endured throughout the Roman period.

"However archaeological evidence shows that, as their populations increased, they were increasingly eaten, and hares were even farmed as livestock. Rather than being buried as individuals, hare and chicken remains were then disposed of as food waste."

After the Romans had left Britain, people stopped hunting hares and this may explain why archaeologists have found few remains of the animal until the medieval period. By contrast, chicken populations increased. This is likely because, in the sixth century Saint Benedict forbade the consumption of meat from four-legged animals during fasting periods such as Lent. His rules were widely adopted in the tenth and eleventh centuries, increasing the popularity of chickens and eggs as fast-day foods.

Historical and archaeological evidence show rabbits were reintroduced to Britain as an elite food during the thirteenth century AD. Rabbits were increasingly common in the nineteenth-century landscape, likely contributing to their replacement of the hare as the Easter Bunny when the festival's traditions were reinvigorated during the Victorian period.

These new findings have emerged just as the country has gone into lockdown, so the team has created an Easter craft activity that can be printed out and made at home. The activity is inspired by the results and from artifacts recorded by the Portable Antiquities Scheme.

First confirmed cases of rabbit virus found in UK hares

THE EASTER CURMUDGEON 

Simon Harris’s pronouncement on the Easter bunny made me gag
I know it’s a time of crisis, but when did this mythical rabbit become part of Irish Easter?

Sat, Apr 11, 2020

Donald Clarke

German-American pride: US president Donald Trump and the Easter Bunny.

 Photograph: Joshua Roberts/Reuters THE BUNNY IS NOT SEAN SPICER

I don’t think I could love anyone who smiles when newsreaders – at gunpoint, I trust – report on the progress of Santa’s sleigh. Never does the dread phrase “only a bit of fun” more vigorously curl the lip. We’re getting this at Easter now.

Yes, I know it’s a time of crisis. Yes, I know it’s particularly difficult if you insisted upon having children. Sorry and all that. But Simon Harris’s pronouncement on the Easter bunny put my gag reflex into paroxysms. “Important news for children,” he tweeted. “Many of you contacted me & asked … if the Easter Bunny was allowed work this weekend. I have checked with our top doctors & the good news is he can.” Nurse! The kidney dish!

Never mind the nauseatingly cosy tone. Here’s the real issue. Since when did this mythical rabbit become part of Irish Easter? When I was a child (screen turns to monochrome, violins accompany the sounds of hooves on cobbled streets), the season was about the bloody death of the God child and his subsequent miraculous recovery. The St Matthew Passion. There is a Green Hill Far Away. All that stuff.

When I was a child, nobody pretended the Malteser or Crunchie eggs were delivered by a supernatural leporine presence

Okay, that’s a lie. Then as now, Easter was mainly an excuse to eat chocolate in the shape of novelty ovoids. But nobody pretended the Malteser or Crunchie eggs (shot of apple-cheeked child munching to the strains of Little Jimmy Osmond) were delivered by a supernatural leporine presence. My Auntie Daphne did that and she got the credit she deserved. 

Softball and root beer

The Easter Bunny and his foreign egg hunts were largely unknown here until the end of the century. Most middle-aged people regard him as some American thing encountered in Bugs Bunny cartoons. He belongs with softball, root beer and the sale of bazookas in Walmart. Yet children, young adults and teenagers (like Simon Harris) view the creature as an integral part of the domestic festival.

Will the creeping Americanisation of our culture never cease?

The Easter Bunny is largely a German invention and it has remained part of north European culture for centuries

The rise of the Easter bunny is analogous to the similar bastardisation of the Irish Halloween. In both cases a European invention is being flogged back to the old countries in homogenised, marketable form. We can claim the autumn festival as our own. But I’m not sure I had even seen a pumpkin in the flesh until I was a grown man. Trick or treat, a variation on an Irish tradition, seems, under that name, to have taken off here after the success of ET in the early 1980s. If you are in your mid-40s you probably remember it. If you are in your mid-50s you probably don’t.

The Easter Bunny is largely a German invention and it has remained part of north European culture for centuries. The film critic Guy Lodge, who writes for Variety, attributes its prominence in the country of his birth to Dutch influence. “Very much a thing in my 1980s South African childhood, and my parents largely did these things according to their own experience, so I think it goes back some way,” he told me.

Yet, despite making its way to the other end of the planet, the tradition just couldn’t get itself across the North Sea. In order to set in here, it had to go to the US, get transferred into corporate junk and hitch its way back as – among other things – a useless 2011 movie featuring the perennially unwelcome Russell Brand. Now we’re stuck with it.
Right about everything

Our parents were right about almost everything. Drop into almost any Irish home in the past 100 years and you’ll find them complaining about the malign influence of the US on domestic culture.

Obviously, we wouldn’t be without rock’n’roll, Hollywood or tomato ketchup. Let’s be reasonable, the place was a genuine dump before those things arrived to wake us up. But a tussle between disdain and admiration has been raging since at least the last war. Look at the American tourist in Fawlty Towers. He may be vulgar in his language and flash with his money, but he’s right about the shoddiness of the British service industry. Even in the age of Trump, we still want to be like them.

We’re saying “I’m good” for “I’m fine”. We’re saying “lawmaker” for “politician”. We say “grilled cheese” for “toasted cheese”

Younger people have, thank goodness, learned to look elsewhere for influence. Never before has east Asia – particularly Japan and Korea – had such an influence on youth culture. But we’re still dallying with the American versions of Halloween and the Easter Bunny. We’re saying “I’m good” for “I’m fine”. We’re saying “lawmaker” for “politician”. We say “grilled cheese” for “toasted cheese”.

We may have only a few years before Irish politicians are wishing us “Happy Thanksgiving”. At which point, I’m off to set up shop in Pyongyang.

WTF THE GODS HAVE TO WORK WEEKENDS DURING A PANDEMIC?

Simon Harris has announced that the Easter Bunny is allowed to work this weekend

By Anna O'Donoghue Tuesday, April 07, 2020

Simon Harris has announced that the Easter Bunny is in fact, allowed to work this weekend.

Worried children across Ireland have been contacting the Health Minister to ask whether their furry friend is classed as an essential worker during the Covid-19 crisis.



In a tweet this morning, Harris said that he has checked with Ireland’s top doctors, who agreed that he is allowed to work, once washes his hands regularly and keeps his distance.

Important news for children: Many of you contacted me & asked me to if the Easter Bunny was allowed work this weekend. I have checked with our top doctors & the good news is he can. But he has been contacted to remind him about washing his hands regularly & keeping his distance
— Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) April 7, 2020

New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern also announced at a press conference yesterday that both the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy are considered as “essential workers”.

You'll be pleased to know that we do consider both the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny to be essential workers.

She also warned children it may be "a bit difficult at the moment" for the Bunny to make it to all their homes, as they are potentially quite busy with their family as well and their own bunnies.

HAPPY EASTER FROM THE OTHER BUNNY

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/66672/15-pieces-classical-music-showed-looney-tunes

WHAT'S OPERA DOC FULL TOON

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2vbbh3

WITH COMMENTARY

BIG F___ING EASTER BUNNY

Are NHS staff set to walk out and ‘refuse to work’ over PPE shortages?

BY LLB REPORTER APRIL 12, 2020

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) have issued drastic new guidance measures to nurses, after there have been more frontline deaths.

Nurses have been told they should “refuse” to treat coronavirus patients if they do not have adequate personal protective equipment (PPE), “as a last resort.”

The government have been accused of failing to deliver the vital PPE to frontline NHS staff placing them at high risk of becoming infected and passing it on to others.

Thus far 19 NHS staff have lost their lives after becoming infected with coronavirus as a result of not having the proper equipment. There are reports that a total of 34 healthcare professionals have died.

Dr Abdul Mabud Chowdhury,53, died in hospital after being in intensive care for 15 days.

He wrote a message to Boris Johnson on the 18 March urgently asking him to provide PPE for “each and every NHS worker in the UK.”

Nurses have been told that they can “refuse to work” meaning they can walk out over the lack of essential life saving PPE.

A spokesman said, “For nursing staff, this will go against every instinct. But their safety must not be compromised.”

Nurses have been warned, they could face corporate manslaughter charges in “very rare” cases should they walk away.

The RCN union will provide legal assistance where their members make this “enormously difficult decision.”

The RCN issued a seven-point safety plan for nurses to follow, with step six saying: “Ultimately, if you have exhausted all other measures to reduce the risk and you have not been given appropriate PPE in line with the UK Infection Prevention and Control guidance, you are entitled to refuse to work.
“This will be a last resort and the RCN recognises what a difficult step this would be for nursing staff.”
The union are advising all staff who chose to walk away must keep a written record for their decisions, and nurses must brace for being sacked.
They must further prepare in their written justifications for allegations of clinical negligence, and face criticism at an inquest, or criminal charges.

The Home Secretary Priti Patel said at the daily Downing Street briefing on Saturday, said she was “sorry if people feel there have been failings” in not providing adequate PPE to NHS staff.

The Department of Health announced on Saturday there have been 917 more deaths across the UK including an 11-year old boy.

The total UK deaths now stands at 9,875 and according to a medical expert the death toll is likely to surpass 10,000 on Easter Sunday.

Professor John Ashton the former Faculty of Public Health director said, on Saturday the total number of deaths in the UK “will almost certainly” surpass 10,000 over the Easter weekend.

But these figures do not include those who die in care homes and in the community, meaning “we really don’t know the full picture,” he told Sky News.

Scientists warn coronavirus stays in the air longer than previously thought

BY LLB REPORTER APRIL 10, 2020

Scientists in Finland have warned coronavirus can stay in the air far longer than previously thought, through talking, sneezing and coughing.

The scientist released a 3D model showing how the virus spreads in the air through tiny airborne aerosols particles.

Their findings “emphasise the importance of avoiding busy indoor spaces.”

Ville Vuorinen, assistant professor at Aalto University in Finland said, “Someone infected by the coronavirus can cough and walk away but then leave behind extremely small aerosol particles carrying the coronavirus.

“These particles could then end up in the respiratory tract of others in the vicinity.”

The scientific researchers modelled the airborne movement of the particles smaller than 20 micrometres, whilst for a dry cough aerosol particles are less than 15 micrometres.

The researchers said, “Extremely small particles of this size do not sink on the floor, but instead, move along in the air currents or remain floating in the same place.”

Where people gather such as shops, restaurants and public transport, or even meeting outside in groups are at high risk of breathing in infected particles.

Jussi Sane, chief specialist at the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare warned that this highlights the importance of people to stay at home, particularly if they feel unwell.

SMALL GRATITUDE FOR TRUCKERS MAKING THE LONG HAUL BY CALGARY COOP WORKERS

COOP STORES CALGARY/HIGH RIVER SUPPLY LONG HAUL TRUCKERS BAG LUNCHES SINCE RESTAURANTS ON THE TRANSCANADA ARE CLOSED.

HOWEVER THEY MISSED THE CHANCE TO MODEL CORONAVIRUS SAFETY 
LIKE WEARING MASKS, AND STANDING SIX FEET APART.

#THANKATRUCKER

'This was a lifeline for kids': 

CBE lays off entire psychology department

Author of the article:Alanna Smith April 10,2020

The exterior of the Calgary Board of Education building was photographed 

on Tuesday, February 4, 2020. Gavin Young/Postmedia 

The Calgary Board of Education has laid off all of its psychologists despite pledging to maintain mental health supports for students during at-home learning.

A psychologist with the public school board said the decision will have an immediate impact on students and their families, especially considering they had already transitioned to virtual sessions amid the COVID-19 pandemic

“This was a lifeline for kids and families who were struggling. It allowed kids to continue working with the therapist they already had a relationship with and to maintain that important connection during this crisis,” said the psychologist, whom Postmedia has agreed not to identify for fear of job reprisal.

He said many of the kids who were receiving mental health counselling were struggling with anxiety, depression or family stress prior to the pandemic.

“Their mental health issues are only likely to get worse as routines are disrupted, (physical) distancing persists and when there’s an increase in uncertainty and stress. Kids need access to mental health services more than ever right now,” he said.

The temporary layoffs are a result of the province’s recently announced education budget rollback.

At the end of March, the United Conservative government said it was “temporarily redirecting” $128 million from school authority funding to the province’s COVID-19 response. It’s estimated the cut will impact as many as 20,000 jobs provincewide.

“To respond to the provincial government’s mandate to redirect dollars to support the COVID-19 response, the CBE’s funding was adjusted by $21 million,” said CBE in a statement. “We prioritized dollars towards keeping positions that have the closest (connection) to students and to supporting learning from home.”

The board maintained employment for 880 educational assistants, speech-language assistants, early childhood practitioners and other positions funded by the province.
“We have many other employees who provide mental health support to families,” said the CBE, referencing school family liaisons, behavioural support workers and mental health strategists among others. The board also said community partners will continue to be resource for students.

Psychologists employed by CBE, part-time and full-time, will be laid off effective May 21 due to a six-week notice period under their collective agreement. Until then, they will continue to provide services to students.

Rae-Anne Royal, chair for the CBE Staff Association representing support workers, said she was surprised to learn psychologists and speech-language pathologists were among the layoffs.

“These roles are probably more conducive than many to providing supports electronically and by telephone,” said Royal in a statement. “The enhanced stress and challenges all are experiencing in this current environment is equally true of students, so more, rather than less, supports are needed.”

Colin Aitchison, press secretary for the minister of education, said the decision to lay off psychologists was that of the CBE’s and theirs alone.

THEY HAVE SAID THIS FOR THE PAST THIRTY YEARS POST 1987 CRASH 

AS THEY IMPOSED AUSTERITY ON THIS PROVINCE UNDER THEIR OLD MONIKER OF RALPH KLEIN'S PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVES

WE CUT YOUR FUNDS BUT STAFF CUTS ARE NOT OUR FAULT
“Adjustments due to in-person class cancellations did not require the temporary layoffs of these staff members,” said Aitchison. “Regardless, we fully expect the CBE to rescind these layoffs when in-person classes resume.”

COVID-19: Student mental health should come before academics during crisis

Barb Silva, Support Our Students spokesperson, said the decision to lay off school psychologists is “incredibly disappointing” and further disadvantages certain students.

“I think we often fall back on the ill-conceived notion that children are resilient. The reality is children just experience or demonstrate trauma in different ways,” said Silva.

“We know that kids with strong relationships that feel engaged and heard and valued at school — whether that’s a bricks-and-mortar school or virtual school like now — do better at school, perform better, learn better.”

She said students already marginalized, due to food insecurity, developmental disabilities or socio-economic factors, will be further pushed to the peripheral.

Barb Silva, spokeswoman for Support Our Students advocacy group.

 JIM WELLS/Postmedia

“We are as strong as our most marginalized student,” said Silva. “In September, everything is going to be different and, at the end of the day, this push to further marginalize our children living in the margins will undermine public education. It is setting us up for failure.”

The CBE psychologist who spoke with Postmedia said students who had already built trusting relationships with a therapist might struggle to do again with someone new — that is, if they can afford or find a new service.

“For the many families who can’t afford fee-for-service psychological services, the removal of school mental health services may force them to try to access service through the already overburdened health care system,” he said.

“Students will continue to need mental health supports to help bridge the transition back to school and we anticipate that we are going to see a wave of mental health issues that is bigger than we’ve ever seen.”

The CBE said 59 psychologists were laid off among the 1,900 people who received temporary layoffs — the largest education layoff in CBE history.

Other positions included breakfast and lunch supervisors, cleaners, library assistants, career and technology instructors, speech-language pathologists and other administrative and support staff.

CBE to temporarily lay off 1,900 staff amid COVID-19 reductions; Catholic board cuts 950 jobs

Author of the article:Jason Herring

Publishing date: April 10, 2020

Calgary’s public and Catholic school districts have temporarily eliminated jobs after the Alberta government cut education funding last month while students are out of school during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Calgary Board of Education handed temporary layoff notices to about 1,900 part- and full-time staff Thursday. The CBE says its 2019-20 budget took a $21-million hit, after the Alberta government’s announcement it would redirect about $128 million from school authority funding to the COVID-19 response.

 

“Approximately 1,030 of the 1,900 affected staff are part-time breakfast and lunch supervisors,” read a statement from Christopher Usih, the CBE chief superintendent of schools.

“The other staff members include part-time cleaners, library assistants, (career and technology studies) instructors, psychologists and speech-language pathologists as well as other administrative and support staff.”

The last day of work for most affected staff will be April 30. The CBE said staff affected by layoffs can apply for federal income assistance following the notice period.

As well, contract staff like substitute teachers are not receiving layoff notices but the CBE says that “there will be limited work” for those staff through the end of the school year.

The board said it cut administrative costs before resorting to layoffs. The CBE said it was able to save some money due to the cancellation of in-class lessons and redirected funds allocated to projects that have now stalled, which it says saved about 1,000 jobs.

School-based support staff integral to supporting remote learning were the employees the CBE prioritized keeping, they said. All 880 of the board’s education assistants will keep their jobs through the end of June.

Barb Silva, spokeswoman for the Support Our Students advocacy group, said she was pleased the CBE retained education assistants given their role in helping students and teachers transition to remote learning.

“I think the CBE has done a good job with what they were dealt,” Silva said.

“We can appreciate the way they went through this in trying to save as many educational assistants as possible. I think recognizing the value of those positions in this climate is really important.”

The Calgary Catholic School District also eliminated jobs, cutting 950 part- and full-time support staff positions, with school principals notifying affected staff earlier this week.

“The Calgary Catholic School District is a family and these temporary layoffs were extremely difficult,” read a statement from the district. “We look forward to welcoming our staff back when we return to our schools.”

The CCSD has said they will rehire all support staff laid off due to budget cuts.

Alberta grade schools have not conducted in-person classes since before March 16, when the province announced all classes were cancelled amid growing fear of community spread of COVID-19.

The province has said that cuts to education funding are meant to be temporary while classes remain online.

The cuts to funding came two weeks after Education Minister Adriana LaGrange indicated Alberta school authorities would receive their full funding for the 2019-20 year.

Silva said public school boards including the CBE need to fight to ensure their funding is sustained through the COVID-19 pandemic, especially with the risk of a second or third wave of the virus coming in the fall.

“Public education is actually very susceptible right now to being undermined through this crisis,” she said. “We need the largest school board in this province to advocate.”

At the time of the budget cut, the ATA estimated around 6,000 substitute teachers and as many as 20,000 support staff in Alberta would be affected by the cuts.

The layoffs are the largest ever for the CBE.

“Each and every employee plays a valuable role in supporting our schools and students,” Usih said. “We know that those employees who received layoff notices will be missed by their colleagues, and especially by our students and families.”

The board said it would begin recalling staff once the province reinstates in-person teaching.

Volcano news latest: 

Fears Iceland eruption could trigger transport chaos

SCIENTISTS in Iceland have warned a potential volcanic eruption could cause disruption for centuries.


By MELANIE KAIDAN PUBLISHED:Sat, Apr 11, 2020

The volcano is experiencing new activity after 800 years without erupting. Since January 21, the Reykjanes peninsula south-west of Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik, has experienced over 8,000 earthquakes and about 10cm of land uplift due to subterranean magma intrusions.

Dave McGarvie, a volcanologist at Lancaster University, said: “It seems that after being relatively inactive for many centuries, this region is waking up.”

The affected area is located near the town of Grindavík and the popular Blue Lagoon thousands of tourists visit ever year, as well as being nine miles away from Iceland’s international airport.

Although the volcano has not erupted in about 800 years there have been more recent eruptions offshore.

Geological studies show the area is surrounded by five volcanic systems, which become active at the same time roughly every 1,000 years.


Fears Iceland eruption could trigger transport chaos (Image: Getty)

Typical Icelandic volcanoes wake for a few years and then die down.

Contrarily, this particular region can have on and off eruptions for up to 300 years.

The eruptive episodes (known in Iceland as “fires”) last few decades.

Fissures of up to five miles splutter streams of lava, usually without much ash or many explosions.


Typical Icelandic volcanoes wake for a few years and then die down (Image: Getty)

The most recent “fires” occurred between 1210 and 1240 and covered about 19 sq miles of land in lava.

There were or more different eruptions, each lasting weeks to months, with gaps between them of up to 12 years without any activity.

Volcanic rocks travel tens of kilometres in the wind and written sources report the rockfall being an issue for livestock.

If something similar happened nowadays the Iceland GeoSurvey calculates that runways at Keflavík airport could be coated in 0.78 in of ash, causing flight to be cancelled temporarily.


The most recent 'fires' occurred between 1210 and 1240 (Image: Getty)

McGarvie said: “Wind direction during times of ash production is critical – anything with a slight northerly aspect is going to cause problems for the international airport and the metropolitan area of Reykjavík.”

Kristín Jónsdóttir from the Icelandic Meteorological Office commented: “The worst-case scenario is if lava flows towards the town of Grindavík.

“There is also other important infrastructure in the vicinity including a geothermal power plant.

“Hot and cold water supply may be at risk, along with roads, including the road between Reykjavík and Keflavík airport.”


Volcanic rocks travel tens of kilometres in the wind (Image: Getty)

While volcanic activity is not a rare occurrence in the country Icelanders are likely to be paying this volcano close attention.

McGarvie commented: “People on the Reykjanes peninsula, and their descendants for several generations, may have to be on their guard and ready to evacuate every so often.”

Small and intermittent eruptions are easier to deal with than large torrents of lava like the 1783-84 Laki eruption.

If history would repeat itself it could be catastrophic for Iceland.

Awakening volcanic region in Iceland 'could cause disruption for centuries'


Reykjanes peninsula’s last active period started in 10th century and lasted 300 years

Kate Ravilious @katerav THE GUARDIAN Fri 10 Apr 2020 
 

A view north of Grindavík on the Reykjanes peninsula. Photograph: Ragnar Th. Sigurðsson/Arctic-Images/Promote Iceland

Volcanic activity is escalating in a region of Iceland that has not erupted for 800 years, with scientists warning it could cause disruption for centuries to come.

Since 21 January, the Reykjanes peninsula south-west of Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik, has experienced more than 8,000 earthquakes and about 10cm of land uplift due to magma intrusions underground.

“It seems that after being relatively inactive for many centuries, this region is waking up,” said Dave McGarvie, a volcanologist at Lancaster University.

Situated close to the town of Grindavík and the popular Blue Lagoon tourist attraction, and only nine miles (15km) from Iceland’s international airport, the region last erupted about 800 years ago (though there have been more recent eruptions offshore). Geological evidence shows the area is fed by five volcanic systems, which seem to come to life in a coordinated way roughly every 1,000 years.

The last period of volcanic activity on the peninsula began in the 10th century and continued until the 13th. Unlike typical Icelandic volcanoes, which tend to wake for a few years and then die down, when this region gets going it appears to splutter on and off for up to 300 years, producing eruptive episodes (locally known as “fires”) lasting a few decades. Long thin cracks known as fissures extend up to five miles (8km), producing fountains of lava, usually without large amounts of ash or explosive activity.

The most recent “fires” occurred between 1210 and 1240 and covered about 50 sq km of land in lava. At least six separate eruptions occurred, each lasting weeks to months, interspersed with gaps of up to 12 years with no activity. Volcanic rock fragments and particles were carried tens of kilometres by the wind and written sources report the rockfall causing problems for livestock in the area.

If a similar series of eruptions occurred today, the Iceland GeoSurvey calculates that runways at Keflavík airport could be coated in 2cm of ash, temporarily halting all flights.

“Wind direction during times of ash production is critical – anything with a slight northerly aspect is going to cause problems for the international airport and the metropolitan area of Reykjavík,” said McGarvie.

“The worst-case scenario is if lava flows towards the town of Grindavík,” said Kristín Jónsdóttir from the Icelandic Meteorological Office. “There is also other important infrastructure in the vicinity including a geothermal power plant. Hot and cold water supply may be at risk, along with roads, including the road between Reykjavík and Keflavík airport.”

Icelanders are rarely fazed by volcanic activity, but they will be keeping a close eye on the Reykjanes peninsula. Because the eruptions are likely to be relatively small and occasional they will be easier to cope with than massive and sudden outpourings of lava like the 1783-84 Laki eruption, but if the pattern is indeed about to repeat, it will present a new kind of challenge for Icelanders.

“People on the Reykjanes peninsula, and their descendants for several generations, may have to be on their guard and ready to evacuate every so often,” said McGarvie.

Volcanic activity in Icelandic UNESCO beauty spot could cause centuries of disruption

Geologists are monitoring increase in activity after area experiences 8,000 small earthquakes since start of the year

By Anna Behrmann Friday, 10th April 2020

Sun shines on the surrounding geothermal waters at the Blue Lagoon
close to the Icelandic capital Reykjavik. (Photo: Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

Volcanic activity has been increasing in a region of Iceland that has not had an eruption for 800 years, with geologists suggesting that this could herald the start of disruption for centuries.

The Reykjanes peninsula, to the south-west of Iceland's capital, Reykjavik, is a UNESCO Global Geopark, because of its unique position and landscape. It lies on plate boundaries along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.

The peninsula has had more than 8,000 small earthquakes and about 10cm of land uplift due to magma intrusions underground since the start of the year, which suggests that it is becoming active again.

Sigríður Magnea Óskarsdóttir, a specialist in natural hazards at the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO), told i that scientists believe that the area has not had a volcanic eruption in 800 years

Lava rocks are in the Blue Lagoon outside Reykjavik .
(Photo: OLIVIER MORIN/AFP via Getty Images

She said: "There were eruptions in the Reykjanes peninsula 800 years ago, but in our lifetime, what we are experiencing is very unusual."

“It seems that after being relatively inactive for many centuries, this region is waking up,” said Dave McGarvie, a volcanologist at Lancaster University told The Guardian.

“People on the Reykjanes peninsula, and their descendants for several generations, will have to be on their guard and ready to evacuate every so often."

The last period of sustained volcanic activity on the peninsula began in the 10th century and continued for 300 years.

Lava rocks in Grindavik near the Blue Lagoon outside Reykjavik.
(Photo: OLIVIER MORIN/AFP via Getty Images

The region is only nine miles from Iceland's international airport and close to the town of Grindavík and the Blue Lagoon tourist attraction, a geothermal spa

The IMO has been monitoring earthquake and volcanic activity in Iceland particularly closely in the last ten years, since the Eyjafjallajökull eruptions in 2010 and the Bárðarbunga eruption in 2015

Eyjafjallajökull volcano, Iceland -- TerraSAR-X Colour Composite