Iceland Volcano Erupts After Thousands Of Earthquakes
by Tyler Durden - Saturday, Mar 20, 2021 - 08:08 AM
While a powerful 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Ishinomaki, Japan, a city located just 65 miles from Fukushima, on Saturday, there was a more notable volcanic eruption in southwestern Iceland near the capital Reykjavik on Friday night.
In recent weeks, we published two notes (see: here & here) informing readers about the more than 34,000 quakes that have been recorded on the Reykjanes Peninsula in recent weeks. On Mar. 4, we wrote: such "quake activity has previously preceded volcanic eruptions." By Mar. 14, the quakes worsened as the country was put on "high alert" for the next volcanic eruption.
About five days from our latest note and tens of thousands of quakes later, the first volcanic eruption in the Reykjavik Peninsula in 800 years was recorded on Friday night. Here's a video of the eruption:
A new video of the eruption at Geldingardalur valley in Reykjanes peninsula. Taken from the Coast Guard helicopter. #Reykjanes #Eruption #Fagradalsfjall pic.twitter.com/B862heMzQL
— Icelandic Meteorological Office - IMO (@Vedurstofan) March 19, 2021
The Icelandic Meteorological Office said the eruption began in Fagradalsfjall around 20:45 GM, about 25 miles from the capital Reykjavik.
"Volcanic eruption has begun in Fagradalsfjall," the meteorological office (IMO) tweeted Friday night, referring to a mountain located south-west of the capital.
More video shows streams of red lava pouring out of a fissure vent.
Volcano active in Iceland at the moment #fagradalsfjall #reykjanes #eldgos pic.twitter.com/FR6We2747p
— MOM air (@MOMairline) March 19, 2021
Additional photos of the glow from the #volcanic #eruption in #Fagradalsfjall on the #Reykjanes peninsula in #Iceland #icerupt pic.twitter.com/XyQUzGuNhV
— Gisli Olafsson (@gislio) March 19, 2021
So far, Fagradalsfjall is not expected to cause havoc in air travel, as did ash from the Eyjafjallajökull eruption in 2010.
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/iceland-volcano-erupts-after-thousands-earthquakes
Magnitude 7.0 earthquake shakes Japan, triggers tsunami concerns
By Mary Gilbert, AccuWeather meteorologist
Updated Mar. 20, 2021 6:16 AM PDT
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Daily activities across portions of Japan were disrupted late Saturday afternoon when a significant earthquake shook the country and triggered tsunami concerns.
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), a magnitude 7.0 earthquake occurred at 6:09 p.m., local time. The USGS pinpointed the epicenter of the quake to be located 16.7 miles (27 km) east of Ishinomaki, Japan, at a depth of 33.5 miles (54 km).
When the earthquake first occurred, the initial USGS report had placed the magnitude of the quake at a 7.2, but that magnitude was quickly adjusted to 7.0.
A tsunami advisory was in effect for portions of coastal Japan Saturday evening, local time, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA). The entire coastline of the Miyagi Prefecture, the area closest to the epicenter of the quake, was alerted to the possibility of a tsunami wave of up to 3.28 feet (1 meter). These tsunami advisories were cancelled by the JMA shortly before 8 p.m., local time.
Evacuation orders that were in place for the Miyagi Prefecture were also lifted with the cancellation of the tsunami advisory.
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The National Weather Service's Tsunami Warning System indicated that a Pacific-wide tsunami was not expected and that there were no immediate threats to Guam, Rotam, Tinian, Saipan, Hawaii or the Pacific coast of the United States.
Shaking as a result of the earthquake was felt in the capitol city of Tokyo by 6:10 p.m., local time. Due to the quake, operations of the Tokaido Shinkansen rail network were suspended in Tokyo for a time on Saturday.
Operations at the Onagawa nuclear power plant were also suspended for a time while Tohoku Electric checked the plant for any irregularities following the quake.
Around 8 p.m., local time, Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority reported that no abnormalities were found at the power plants across the region.
At least one injury has been attributed to the earthquake. One person was injured in Ishinomaki City in the Miyagi Prefecture, according to a report from the local fire department. Partial power outages were reported across the Miyagi Prefecture.
This earthquake comes just days after the 10-year anniversary of the infamous March 11, 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami disaster. This 2011 quake, also known as the Great Sendai Earthquake or Great TĹŤhoku Earthquake, caused widespread damage to Japan and initiated a series of devastating tsunami waves. This quake also led to the nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant.
An earthquake very similar in magnitude and location to Saturday's quake occurred in February of this year. According to a spokesperson from the Japan Meteorological Agency, that February 2021 quake was considered to be an aftershock of the March 11, 2011 earthquake.
https://www.accuweather.com/en/severe-weather/magnitude-7-0-earthquake-shakes-japan-triggers-tsunami-concerns/918771
https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/?currentFeatureId=us7000dl6y&extent=26.31311,-242.09473&extent=47.30903,-196.12793