November 14, 2023, 2:52 p.m., Pacific: An explanation for that orange — it was apparently seen tonight and viewers called RUV:
A working light in the west of Grindavík raises questions – Eruption not the sea
Many of those who have watched the live stream on RÚV’s webcam of Þorbirn were startled by the bright lights under the mast west of Grindavík.
The newsroom has received several inquiries about whether a gas crack has opened there, but it is not, nor is it a working light. [That’s probably a mistranslation, given the headline.] This is confirmed by a natural disaster expert at the Icelandic Meteorological Office.
So, I’m not crazy, just did some overthinking — something I do and am trying to change.
November 13, 2023, 11:24 p.m., Pacific: I don’t think there is an eruption: there is no news at all and cams from another cam operator show the power plant from the same angle but with no orange spot.
I saw what I saw, and fortunately, I captured a screenshot, though with the older, blurrier phone. I think my inferences from that cam’s views at the time were valid, but something somewhere got messed up.
I’ll track it down at this end and in the meantime leave this post up as evidence of an interesting little side trip.
And, of course, you will never hear another such announcement from me without official backup! ☺️
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No. Beyond the plant.
It’s that tiny orange dot beyond the plant. It appeared within the hour and there has been some unusual activity at the plant.
More as it develops.
Note: This is my own lay opinion but that fire in the distance does have lava incandescence.
7:09 p.m., Pacific:
It was probably around the time of that M1 at 0.3 km; I didn’t look at the time of seeing that orange dot appear but it was right around that time or a little later.
Interestingly, the biggest quake since Saturday happened farther down the peninsula at Kleifervatn today.
There had been some before today of about the same magnitude at that location, and they were described as triggered by deformation, so that’s what I thought today’s was, too.
But now I wonder.
I suspect right now Iceland’s officials and emergency managers and scientists are quite busy, but I’ll keep an eye out for official confirmation.
7:47 p.m., Pacific: MBL.IS just published this an hour after that orange light appeared (it’s slowly growing).
This is in the Eldvörp system, I think, just east of the newly (2022) described Fagradalsfjall system.
Well, they must wait until an eruption is officially announced, and right now there is intense data collection and modeling going on so the announcement can include the most useful information.
Too, they need to see how the eruption develops — nothing is immediately threatened and it was around 4:30 a.m. when the thing appeared. There is no rush.
I’m glad people got into Grindavik today, not that lava will reach it right away, but at least they got animals and important belongings out.
Flight To Wonder 