# Katla update... maybe waking up?



## texican (Oct 4, 2003)

http://beforeitsnews.com/news/45/173/Uh-oh_Katla_Volcano_Just_Rumbled.html

http://modernsurvivalblog.com/natural-disasters/will-katla-volcano-blow-next/

I get email all day long, just like everyone else... this one caught my eye, and it was 'break time' for me, so figured I'd share. Katla might be waking up... I'll be paying a lot more attention to my gmail notifier 'blue envelope' in my taskbar for the next couple of days.


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## unregistered29228 (Jan 9, 2008)

Interesting, and just a little bit scary. Crops all over the world will be affected if she really blows.


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## Jakk (Aug 14, 2008)

Uh oh.


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## barnyardfun (Mar 26, 2005)

Thanks for keeping us updated Texican! I will keep an eye out. Not looking forward to anything happening.


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## Wisconsin Ann (Feb 27, 2007)

You might want to check the actual Iceland Met site: http://en.vedur.is/#tab=skjalftar
They don't seem to show an earthquake in the same place as the one on the beforeitsnews.com. And in fact, they show only small quakes, under 2.8 happening in the last 48 hours.

The tremor activity shown in the nearest stations to Katla show some tremors, but nothing significant. I'm not saying it didn't happen, but the Iceland Meterological site doesn't show it. 

The smaller volcano's ash plume is enough problem  They (the vulcanologists) say there's no sign of it stopping. Could go for months.


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## bee (May 12, 2002)

I got to looking for the mentioned quake and did not find it however, I did see where the Greenland Sea has had 3 nice quakes recently(last 4 days) of 4.8,5.0 and 5.2...I am having trouble finding out how far they are from Katla....? Maps show the Greenland Sea as a sort of triangle from Greendland to Norway and from Norway to Iceland and then back to Greenland. I need to look for faults in the area and see if there are connections...


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## bee (May 12, 2002)

There are times when it may be better off to not know.... I must have been asleep all those years ago in geography class. Iceland is cut nearly in half by the fault deviding the Euraisian Plate and the North American Plate. These 3 quakes happened on the fault to the north-east of Iceland..on the fault that runs right thru Icelands area of volcanic activity. Looking at a map of seismic activity for that area they are showing those 3 quakes as the only activity of that magnitude in 2010. Gray, chilly, wet and gloomy here today and my outlook was not just improved....yes, I know, insignificant on a world view(check out the Alutien island chain!!! Or California/Baja)..but Katla and her history are not on the Pacific Rim!


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## AuntKitty (Oct 25, 2004)

I'm not sure how to link to these things but msnbc.com this morning has a story that says Katla is going to erupt and the President of Iceland has warned European leaders to get ready. Scientists agree it will be soon but say the usual warning seismic activity right before eruption is not happening yet.

Yikes! Get ready everyone!

Kitty


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## Sarabeth (Sep 14, 2008)

Here's the link - hope it works....

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37371442/ns/world_news-europe/


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## AuntKitty (Oct 25, 2004)

Yep, that's it. Thanks Sarabeth!

Kitty


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## juju_mommy (May 6, 2010)

Thanks for posting the link to the article... we definitely need to be watching the news for this...


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

Well, I better get off my duff and order that first load of wood, then. 1 load got us through last winter, but I did ration it a bit. We want 2 loads this year, so we can get the first one split nice and small while the weather is nice. 2nd load can be the "big logs" and ordered at the end of summer.


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## texican (Oct 4, 2003)

Who knows what the truth really is... but the Icelandic authorities are getting prepared....

http://news.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474978263187

Hopefully I'll get paid before she blows...


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## PrincessFerf (Apr 25, 2008)

Texican... I had to read your comment twice... a government entity "getting ready" ahead of a problem? /giggle

Seems near impossible!


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## marvella (Oct 12, 2003)

bee said:


> There are times when it may be better off to not know.... I must have been asleep all those years ago in geography class. Iceland is cut nearly in half by the fault deviding the Euraisian Plate and the North American Plate. These 3 quakes happened on the fault to the north-east of Iceland..on the fault that runs right thru Icelands area of volcanic activity. Looking at a map of seismic activity for that area they are showing those 3 quakes as the only activity of that magnitude in 2010. Gray, chilly, wet and gloomy here today and my outlook was not just improved....yes, I know, insignificant on a world view(check out the Alutien island chain!!! Or California/Baja)..but Katla and her history are not on the Pacific Rim!


if you are close to my age (56) we weren't taught anything about plate techtonics and such. they were "discovered" during the use of radar during WWII but it did not become part of acepted knowledge until the late 70's/ early 80's

chances are good you weren't asleep.

eta: we get occasional warnings about yellowstone going to blow again any minute too. i'm not sure there is increased activity worldwide. it's just that we didn't have the capability to know what is going on anywhere at any time until recently.


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## Dr. Mom (Jan 13, 2008)

I don't know how reliable this guy is, but I'm sure glad he put Yellowstone at the bottom of the list! Now we just have to make it through all the other volcanoes first! He does say that the list is always being updated, as the Iceland volcanoes weren't even on the list at the first of the year. 

http://www.liveoddsandscores.com/ne...1/katla-now-favourite-for-next-major-eruption



> A Volcanic Explosivity Index of 3 would be considered severe but not uncommon with volcanoâs such as Mount Vesuvius, Mount Etna, Surtsey, Eldfell, Nevado del Ruiz all experiencing this class of eruption over the past hundred years.
> 
> Paddy Power said âWe started taking bets on this back in December 2009 and at that time neither Katla nor Eyjafjallajokull even featured in the betting. We all know what has happened since and now either of the Icelandic volcanoes erupting next would cost us over â¬35,000 in winning betsâ
> Next Volcano to Erupt (VEI &#8805; 3)
> ...


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## texican (Oct 4, 2003)

PrincessFerf said:


> Texican... I had to read your comment twice... a government entity "getting ready" ahead of a problem? /giggle
> 
> Seems near impossible!


Remember, this IS Iceland... ash is falling in their fields right now. There are people still alive there who remember the flash floods caused by glaciers melting and flooding everwhere.

Methinks, if one of our volcanoes started spewing ash for a few weeks, 'someone' would start getting plans together. May not be the 'official' govt., but the unofficial govt. would. The Govt. is us... not all of us, but a fair share.

I won't be expecting anything from my govt., except stupidity, if Katla starts to do it's thing. You know, the greater good and all. (the greater good usually means someone, like us, gets the greater bad done to them).


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

Remember the population of Iceland in only about 300,000. That's smaller then some of the cities in our country. If the "city" region I live in was expecting a volcano to blow "immanently" I'm rather sure the local government would be "active" (not to be confused with effective). If not their momma's would smack them up side the head, as they live close by.


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## bee (May 12, 2002)

Heh, Yellowstone is an ELE, who will be left to payout on this bet??


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

> Browse: Home / World / Iceland Volcano May 27, 2010 Update &#8211; Katla Volcano Now a Concern
> Iceland Volcano May 27, 2010 Update &#8211; Katla Volcano Now a Concern
> 
> By Sylvia Holt on May 27, 2010
> ...


http://apexnewsnetwork.com/21896/iceland-volcano-may-27-2010-update-katla-volcano-now-a-concern/


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## Sarabeth (Sep 14, 2008)

Thanks for the update Cyngebaeld. This volcano freaks me out! Just imagining what could happen when it blows....


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## Dr. Mom (Jan 13, 2008)

bee said:


> Heh, Yellowstone is an ELE, who will be left to payout on this bet??


Maybe that's why he put it at the bottom of the list. He knows the odds and they ain't good!


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## barnyardfun (Mar 26, 2005)

Any new news on Katla? I am not very good at finding info like that on the net.


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## Wisconsin Ann (Feb 27, 2007)

There hasn't been much about it for a couple of days. More seismic activity in the region..all small...but the area is becoming more active than it was a month ago. The one that erupted is now in a "pause" mode. If it stays paused for 3 months, they consider it to be dormant.


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

barnyardfun said:


> Any new news on Katla? I am not very good at finding info like that on the net.


Great minds think alike...I was looking for that information this evening, too. I couldn't find anything newer then last week.


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

Location of Katla's caldera









http://en.vedur.is/earthquakes-and-volcanism/earthquakes/myrdalsjokull/
This morning from iceland met.


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## JIL (Aug 25, 2007)

Is there any activity?


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

Just quakes in the caldera.


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## candyknitter (Apr 23, 2009)

There is a documentry being shown here (UK) tonight about "What if" which i'm looking forward to watching. The synopsis mentions that European airspace would be closed for 18 months if Katla blew!!! We would be so stuffed here because we import so much food by air, at first I thought well at least we can still ship it in but then I began wondering how the ash cloud would affect sunlight levels - would crops even grow properly still in places like Spain where we import fresh veg from? I'll let you know what it said!


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

It shouldn't affect growing the first summer, but the next it may. Really depends on where the food is grown and how well the farmers adapt to any changes in their growing season. Now if it were a bit cooler here, it might actually extend the growing season on some things because it is too hot mid summer for most garden crops.


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## candyknitter (Apr 23, 2009)

Well the documentary last night wasn't that great but a couple of things worth noting was that the volcanic ash contained Fluoride which is poisonious to livestock so the ones in Iceland had to be moved to new grazing sites, and also apparently although Katla is the biggest threat to Europe, a far bigger threat globally is a chain of volcanos in Kamchatka, Russia.


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

Thanks, just what we need. LOL Now to see what I can find on Russian volcanoes.


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

Looky what I found!
http://www.avo.alaska.edu/activity/avoreport.php?view=kaminfo


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## JIL (Aug 25, 2007)

thanks for the info!!


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## Wolf mom (Mar 8, 2005)

The positive note is there goes Algore & cap & tax :banana02: as the ash is suppose to reduce global warming by about 4 degrees......


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

lot more activity today
http://en.vedur.is/earthquakes-and-volcanism/earthquakes/myrdalsjokull/


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## Wisconsin Ann (Feb 27, 2007)

I was thinking about all the scenes we saw of stranded air travelers. Wringing of hands, oh me oh me..how am I to get home? And then thought about the nebulous plans we have to go to Europe this year..maybe. and how would we get home if the thing spewed ash in the air again(Eyjas..whatever it is, not Katla).

My first thought was the US Embassy to see if they could get us on a ship. Then it occurred to me that it's really only Europe that would be closed initially from the ash. Taking a train, or car I suppose, south into southern Spain, then a ferry across to the African continent might work. Getting a plane to the US from there would work. Pricey, probably, but at least you're going home.

I'd opt for a ship passage first, but those tend to be booked months in advance.


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

WI Ann, don't forget visa's! Yes, you could take a train to Spain visa free, I think. But you may not be able to get into an African port without one. Since you haven't left, yet, you have time to check into that.


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## Wisconsin Ann (Feb 27, 2007)

Visa...not needed for Morocco (and that's the country directly south of Spain.) Hadn't thought about that tho....good call to check them out. 

eta: actually, now that I look at flights and such...they mainly fly INTO Europe to get anywhere..so that's not going to work. Interesting exercise is preparing for a possible inconvenience


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

If you go, make sure you have extra cash. PLENTY extra. I read that some airlines were basically selling to the highest bidder (think these were in asian countries though). You need money for a prolonged hotel stay and to eat and for taxis, etc.


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## texican (Oct 4, 2003)

Glad I don't have to go to Europe this summer.

It's a long walk back home, and the ~20 miles or so of ice in the Bering Straits is getting iffier with global warming...

Was a little 'interesting' when I got the Katla Google Alert this morning... a higher frequency of earthquakes around the caldera. My first thought was I wish I was getting paid soon, so I could cancel out some of my needs lists.


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## tallpines (Apr 9, 2003)

Never have used our passports but intend to next fall when we travel to Europe.

Yup!

I'm freaked out enough about such a long air flight----------and now I've got a volcano to worry about!

:grit::shocked:


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## candyknitter (Apr 23, 2009)

Wisconsin Ann said:


> I'd opt for a ship passage first, but those tend to be booked months in advance.


Don't forget that there are plenty of cargo ships travelling back and forth who you could hitch a ride with if you don't mind roughing it. I'm not sure I would take this option however if you are a female travelling alone, but if you have your men folk in tow and you're desperate to get back then it could be handy!


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## Wisconsin Ann (Feb 27, 2007)

There's actually a very thriving business of cargo ship travel for passengers. They have just a few "passenger" cabins fitted out, and there isn't the cruiseship type of entertainment, which is a GOOD thing imo. You eat with the crew and it's MAN FOOD and plenty of it, by all accounts. No alcohol on most of the ships, but that's hardly a problem. Plenty of deck room to sit and read, or watch the sea. The crew is (again, according to those I've talked to) happy to see new faces and have someone new to tell their, um tall tales to  

They make landfall to load/offload cargo, and as long as you're back in time for sailing you can go ashore at some pretty unusual places. 

(but I agree..don't know that I'd go on one without a companion)

With all the unrest in Europe at the moment, I'm thinking SPRING is nice. 

Money/cash: Last time I took only enough actual cash to cover what we'd need on the way. For the rest of the trip, we hit the ATMs for a day's worth of cash. (always had a small stash of local currency in a safe place, tho) I suspect that if I were traveling this year...aforementioned unrest, solar storms, etc.....I might take a larger amount of $$, and then ATM my max in the local currency. Just in case something took out electric grid. Of course...if something took out the grid and i'm in Europe anywhere, I'm screwed whatever kind of cash I have.  Have to hire on as a dairy milker or animal caretaker or something.


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

Wisconsin Ann said:


> The crew is (again, according to those I've talked to) happy to see new faces and have someone new to tell their, um tall tales to


Well, you have time now to snag a few books from the library and sharpen your story telling skills. Might want to pick up a joke book as well. I may just have to do the same and type out a few good jokes to add to our BOB....in times a stress nothing helps our family more then a few good jokes.


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## barnyardfun (Mar 26, 2005)

http://modernsurvivalblog.com/natur...Feed:+ModernSurvivalBlog+(ModernSurvivalBlog)

_



When Icelandâs Katla volcano erupts next, could it be 100 times as powerful as the recent Eyjafjallajokull eruption?
Maybe, yes. Hopefully not. Let me explainâ¦


The current thinking and assumption is that Katla will possibly be as powerful as ten times that of the recent eruption of Eyjafjallajokull, which is a reasonable expectation given the fact that the 1918 Katla eruption was indeed about ten times as powerful as Eyjafjallajokull.

Volcano explosiveness is ranked on a scale from 0 to 8 (Volcanic Explosivity Index â VEI), and each increase in number represents a ten times increase in explosiveness (logarithmic scale). The total volume of ejected material also known as âtephraâ (the fragmental material, regardless of size, produced by volcanic eruption), as well as plume height are the most important criteria factored in to VEI.

The recent Eyjafjallajokull volcano eruption in Iceland was ranked on the low end of VEI 4 and released about 140 Million cubic meters of material , of which about 80 Million cubic meters went into the atmosphere by way of the ash plume. It affected aviation in the region for weeks, translating to global transportation issues of both human and cargo, and had a measurable negative economic impact.

Imagining the impact of a Katla eruption on a scale of ten times worse than Eyjafjallajokull is bad enough, but when considering an impact of one hundred times worse, one begins to cringeâ¦


VEI 4 (ejects .1 â 1 Billion cubic meters of tephra, plume height 10 â 25 km)

VEI 5 (ejects 1 â 10 Billion cubic meters of tephra, plume height >25 km)

VEI 6 (ejects 10 â 100 Billion cubic meters of tephra, plume height >25 km)


The 1918 Katla eruption has been ranked VEI 4+ and VEI 5, ejected 700 Million cubic meters of material, was about ten times the explosive power as &#65279;Eyjafjallajokull, and nearly comparable with the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens.

The fact is, the magma chamber beneath Katla is large enough to produce a VEI 6 eruption. The chamber has a volume of about 10 Billion cubic meters and the caldera has an area of about 42 square miles (108 square kilometers). The total volume within the magma chamber, if completely filled and ejected, could touch the bottom range of a VEI 6.

When Katla erupted in 934 AD, it produced one of the worldâs largest known lava flows which amounted to 18 Billion cubic meters while also ejecting 5 Billion cubic meters of tephra. This put it solidly within VEI 5 and would certainly have been VEI 6 if some of the enormous amount of lava had ejected as tephra instead.



History often repeats itself
Whether Katla goes off as a VEI 4+, 5, or 6, it will have a significant impact on todayâs world. Regardless of the scale, air travel will be severely impacted, particularly in Europe, which will ripple down through the economies of the world. Localities in the path of the ash plume will likely endure regional crop and livestock failure from ash fallout, as well as the threat of poisoning from inhalation.

History favors a probable VEI 4+, maybe VEI 5 type of event, however a VEI 6 worst case scenario will bring significant devastation in that it will be much wider spread. It will surely have a global impact as temperatures could drop enough to cause wide spread crop failures while our weather is effected from such a large volume of ash ejected into the stratosphere. Having said that, even a VEI 5 could also cause a world wide temperature drop depending on which end of the VEI â5&#8242; scale.

Katla historically erupts following the eruption of Eyjafjallajokull (which erupted 14-April and went on for 10 days). Katlaâs volcanic eruptions have ranged in duration from 13 days to as long as 120 days, while the last three Katla eruptions have been between 20 and 28 days.

We will not know the answer to the question of 10x or 100x until it happens, but in the mean time, if I lived nearby, I would stock up with some extra food and water just in case the disruption is bad enough. We all know that it will happen, it could be tomorrow or months from now, but the clock is definitely ticking.

Click to expand...

_


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## barnyardfun (Mar 26, 2005)

More Katla info......

http://modernsurvivalblog.com/natur...Feed:+ModernSurvivalBlog+(ModernSurvivalBlog)


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## bee (May 12, 2002)

It should be noted that all these quakes are under a 3 magnitude. I have also been watching daily on this site(Iceland's). It bothers me more that the E-cano(can never spell that name!) has been totally quiet, no quakes- while Katla is waking up.


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

Yes, I check it frequently too. I am assuming (may be wrong, of course) that we will see at least a mag 3 quake in the caldera prior to eruption. I'm not a geologist or anything, but there seem to be a lot of quakes in Iceland of under mag 3 all the time.


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## Divot (Jul 2, 2010)

Wisconsin Ann said:


> There's actually a very thriving business of cargo ship travel for passengers. They have just a few "passenger" cabins fitted out, and there isn't the cruiseship type of entertainment, which is a GOOD thing imo. You eat with the crew and it's MAN FOOD and plenty of it, by all accounts. No alcohol on most of the ships, but that's hardly a problem. Plenty of deck room to sit and read, or watch the sea. The crew is (again, according to those I've talked to) happy to see new faces and have someone new to tell their, um tall tales to
> 
> They make landfall to load/offload cargo, and as long as you're back in time for sailing you can go ashore at some pretty unusual places.
> 
> ...


Anne, 

I like the way you're thinking! I was thinking the similar things when I was on business in Germany a couple months ago. That prompted me to write my story - The Fall of Europe. You might get a kick out of it.

I sure hope katla doesn't blow. If a large one like in historic times, it would not be good for anyone, there or here.

But, until then, travel safe, have fun, and have a plan!


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

http://www.eurotrib.com/comments/2010/4/19/162745/316/4
Here is a good synopsis of "recent" activity at Katla.

Today


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## Sarabeth (Sep 14, 2008)

Wow - that's interesting...I had sort of put Katla out of my mind....


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## bee (May 12, 2002)

been watching this site right along..whole map will be clear EXCEPT that cluster to the left of Katla...... frequently.


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

Been wondering about Katla the past few days. Just hadn't had any time to look into it. 

Thanks!


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## barnyardfun (Mar 26, 2005)

Here is a report about another one of Iceland's volcanoes.

http://modernsurvivalblog.com/volca...Feed:+ModernSurvivalBlog+(ModernSurvivalBlog)


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## mnn2501 (Apr 2, 2008)

marvella said:


> if you are close to my age (56) we weren't taught anything about plate techtonics and such. .


I'm 54 and I learned about them in school. Of course I was in a good district in a progessive state at the time.


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

Apparently Katla historically blows from 6 to 18 months after the little one goes. Certainly not out of the woods yet.


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## texican (Oct 4, 2003)

Up until yesterday, my google news update on "Katla" was cluttered with some race horse named Katla and some fishing concerns in Asia... was about to delete the news update (a link arrives in my gmail acct., and my gmail notifier pops up, letting me know I have fresh mail).... and then reports of quakes started returning.

Wonder if it's coincidence that I had a full blown vivid dream of a volcanic caused catastrophe Sunday night...


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