A new ice-cauldron has formed this week within the Öræfajökull volcano caldera, prompting the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) to raise the aviation color code for the volcano to yellow. The last eruptive episode of this volcano started in August 1727 and ended in May 1727. A pilot flying over the area took pictures of the cauldron Friday, November 17, 2017 and sent them to the Icelandic Meteorological Office. The cauldron is about 1 km (0.62 miles) in diameter and it reflects a recent increase in geothermal activity within the caldera.
“It seems that geothermal water has been slowly released from underneath the cauldron to the glacial river of the Kvíárjökull outlet-glacier (SE flank of Öræfajökull volcano),” IMO said. “A sulfur smell, associated with this water release, has been reported nearby Kvíárjökull since last week. Most of the water has probably already been released.” The office has also registered an increase in the seismic activity in the last few months, but it has been low for the past days. FULL REPORT
