Scientists and representatives of the Department of Civil Protection flew over Vatnajökull glacier today to measure the subsidence of Bárðarbunga caldera. The caldera has now subsided 18,5 m since the seismic activity started in Bárðarbunga on 16. August. The subsidence was first detected on Friday 5. September. Scientists at the Institute of Earth Sciences University of Iceland describe this event as an ‘slow caldera collapse. They also say that ‘at this moment the total subsidence is small compared to known caldera collapses elsewhere but it is also impossible to say how long this event will last’.

The map below shows the Bárðarbunga caldera and the measurements done by scientists at the Institute of Earth Sciences University of Iceland.

Bárðarbunga – subsidence of the glacier surface, as measured on 8. September 2014. Map by Institute of Earth Sciences University of Iceland.