Photo Friday: Ice Cauldron Forms on Iceland’s Highest Volcano


Iceland’s highest volcano, Öræfajökull, recently showed signs of life with the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) reporting the formation of a new ice cauldron. Ice cauldrons form when ice is melted from below during times of increased volcanic activity. The volcano last erupted in 1727 and also erupted in 1362, the largest eruption in recorded Icelandic history. The IMO has increased its monitoring of the volcano and issued a yellow aviation warning, signaling an increase in volcanic activity above background levels. Back in 2010, Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull volcano erupted, grounding thousands of flights. However, there are currently no signs of an impending eruption of Öræfajökull. Check out images of Öræfajökull below.

Photo of satellite view of cauldron
Satellite view of a cauldron forming on the summit of ÖRÆFAJÖKULL (Source: @Vedurstofan/Twitter).

 

Photo of ÖRÆFAJÖKULL and cauldron forming
Another satellite view of ÖRÆFAJÖKULL and the cauldron forming (Source: Antti Lipponen/Creative Commons).

 

Photo of ÖRÆFAJÖKULL from the ground
ÖRÆFAJÖKULL from the ground (Source: Theo Crazzolara/Creative Commons).

 

Photo of ÖRÆFAJÖKULL from the ground showing its extensive glacial coverage.
ÖRÆFAJÖKULL from the ground again showing its extensive glacial coverage (Source: Aarne Granlund/Twitter).