Volcanic Activity in Iceland: Warning the Public

Iceland has an effective early detection system to create the desired 1-2 hour time-frame needed to effectively warn people of the imminent threat of an eruption.

Since the 2010 eruption of Eyafjallajokull, a geophysicist at the University of Iceland, Freysteinn Sigmundsson, has worked closely with 100 European and American scientists to create FutureVolc. They aimed to create an improved volcanic monitoring and warning system. Preparedness is emphasized to the public with effective protocols set in place to effectively handle a volcanic eruption.
Early detection is key to this plan as they deemed an effective 1-2 hour warning beforehand as being necessary.

To do this, FutureVolc has placed Geodetic GPS Receivers mounted to rocks throughout the island with careful placement closer to the greatest volcanic activity on the island. This measures Earth's geometric shape, orientation in space, and gravity field. This effectively allows scientists to monitor the movement of a volcanic site and what it is doing 24/7.

They also place sensors that measure seismicity that measure the waves generated before, during, and after a volcanic eruption.

They have bored holes into the sides of volcanoes that house strain monitors. This allows scientists to determine if the Earth's crust is being crushed or expanded, another indication of an eruption.

Finally, they run constant radar measurements that measure the airborne particles released into the atmosphere preceding an eruption. This also helps predict the rate at which the erupting volcano will release ash and other material into the air.

There are phases that have been created to alert officials and surrounding countries of the threat level of an eruption. They also place a measurement of priority to further identify and convey the seriousness of the impending eruption or event.

Iceland's scientists and officials have carefully labeled the regions most active volcanoes. To effectively inform the public of this threat they do the following:

- Issue information on how to be prepared for a volcanic event to nearby residents (Via public radio, T.V, text, posters, internet)
- Post and issue information to tourists about volcanoes to tourists in multiple languages
- Post informational posters at popular tourists sites (For example, the walking path at Mt.Hekla volcano.)
- Hold 2-day exercises to practice what to do in the event of an eruption

• Detection
• Warn nearby residents 1-2 hours before eruption 
• Evacuation to designated areas

With all these precautions, there is frequent communication among scientists and officials with ongoing re-analysis of volcanoes, possible scenarios for each being predicted, and risk analysis for populations located close to volcanoes.

Sources: Biba, Erin. "Volcano Alert: A System to Warn Us About the Next Major Iceland Eruption."Wired. Conde Nast, 04 Dec. 2013. Web. 27 Feb. 2017.

Photo:, and B. Pálmaso. "Volcanic Alert Warnings to the Public; Experience from Volcanic Eruptions in Iceland." Volcanic Alert Warnings to the Public; Experience from Volcanic Eruptions in Iceland (n.d.): 1-23. Vender. Icelandic Met Office. Web. 27 Feb. 2017.

US Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "What Is Geodesy?" NOAA's National Ocean Service. National Ocean Service, 01 Mar. 2014. Web. 27 Feb. 2017.

Earthquakes: How Iceland Mitigates Them

Icelandic Civil Protection operates on two levels. They have set in place plans for a generic emergency and how people should react in this event and specific plans that deal with particular hazards, locations, and sites. They have tailored emergency plans to match a local hazard faced by people living in particular parts of the island. This authority seeks to education people on these specific hazards by practicing evacuation drills in local schools. An important step they take is to promote local public awareness through pamphlets that discuss the risk in various hazard area and what to do in the such an event. Local authorities have set evacuation plans in place in order to mitigate the risk of hazards such as earthquakes. In the event of a hazard, local schools are used as emergency aid centers. Scientists use seismographs surrounding a known hazard area in order to monitor them and immediately relay the information to the local district commissioner in the event a hazard is predicted to occur. The commissioner is then responsible for notifying resident's to evacuate to designated areas.

It is common for Iceland to experience multiple earthquakes a week.In the above photo, Iceland's seisimicity was rated by its magnitide and ranged from M. 1.4- M. 3.5 over the course of 66 earthquakes experienced this week. Iceland experiences both to a strike-slip fault interaction in Southern Iceland and off the northern coast along with dip-slip tectonic plate interaction in other areas of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. It is along these faults that most of Iceland's earthquakes occur. They are also experienced in areas where there is volcanic activity, as well. 

Engineers reinforce buildings with steel bars throughout the structure. There are also limitations on the proximity of adjacent buildings may be built near each other. This is to prevent pounding effects experienced during earthquakes. They have also adopted building codes similar to that of California and now moving towards building codes practiced in Europe's Code 8. Timber and solid concrete structures have proven to be quite robust against earthquakes so engineers have not sought to reconstruct such buildings. Locals purchase disaster insurance in order to protect their properties in the event of a high intensity earthquake. 

Sources: http://www.nat-hazards-earth-syst-sci.net/10/407/2010/nhess-10-407-2010.pdf

Education Facilities and Risk Management Natural Disasters by OECD

https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/earthquakes/iceland.html

Photo taken from LogicSquaD's Blog#1 Earthquake in Iceland in May 2008

Iceland: Plate Tectonics

Iceland's plate boundary actually splits the country itself in two. This split of Iceland is known as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge created by the Eurasian and North American plates. The geologic activity of a divergent plate boundary results in the tectonic plates moving away from each other. This triggers natural hazards such as volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.

Photo from Lecture on Chptr. 2 by Dr. Ana Garcia-Garcia

Sources: Chapter 2 Lecture by Dr. Ana Garcia-Garcia; Earth Catastrophes: Plates
Strickland, Sue. "Mid-Atlantic Ridge in Iceland." EPOD - a Service of USRA. Universities Space Research Association, 17 Aug. 2010. Web. 06 Feb. 2017.