Katla Warms Up

If I were living in Europe I would buy some insurance in the form a few large sacks of rice.  Not great, but it will let you get by when food runs out.  Other options exist, but rice serves wonderfully in a real emergency.

If nothing happens, I have a never ending supply.  Of course plenty of other things can be acquired that you will consume over time anyway.  however, you do not want to be caught out with an empty cupboard and a collapsed distribution system.

I have already posted on Katla and today we have the first disturbance registered that I am aware of.  These things will build up over time before we reach the eruption stage.  Or at least I hope so.  A massive explosion causing a huge tsunami along the European coast would ruin our day.  Hekla did just that in 1159BCE and ended the European Bronze Age and the Atlantean culture.

Fortunately Katla just likes to spew lots of ash as far as we know and that will be a handful enough.  If we are lucky, this will brew until we are past harvest.  A blast during the winter will be a lot more recoverable, if only because we can plant cold weather crops if we have to.  I hope you like barley and potatoes and oats.

Respect what you are seeing folks.  This sucker is running to form and that means it will begin erupting within the next few months.  It will erupt with an ash output ten time worse than the present eruption. 

This first quake is essentially on schedule.

Katla Earthquake May Presage Next Volcanic Explosion

By CONTRARIAN

Published: May 18, 2010

Just to add to the ink needs of European central banks, the Iceland met office reports that it has recorded a small earthquake at the Katla volcano. With Europe already pretty much bankrupt, and the only reason why Europe is still quoted being due to ECB, IMF and Fed backstops, the last thing needed by the troubled continent is the next major volcanic explosion to terminate airline travel indefinitely. As earthquakes tend to not be an indicator of volcanic stability, the most anticipated volcanic explosion in human history may finally be a fact quite soon. We are confident the HFT lobby will somehow determine that volcanic ash clouds add liquidity to the market. Stay tuned.

From Modern Suvival Blog:

On May 17, 2010 08:32 UTC, The Iceland Met office indicates that a small earthquake has occurred at the Katla location. In what could be an early indication of the event that is expected to occur (an eruption of Katla), a small earthquake is reported at the site. Although a single earthquake is not a precursor of an eminent eruption, it could be the first ’sigh’ of the awakening powerful giant.

Historically, Katla has erupted after the eruption of it’s close neighbor, Eyjafjallajokull, which first erupted on April 14, 2010 and is ongoing at this moment. Magma channels beneath to the two volcanoes are thought to be interconnected. A Katla eruption would likely be about ten times as powerful at the Eyjafjallajokull eruption and could cause worldwide disruption while expelling huge volumes of volcanic ash into the stratosphere which would circle the globe potentially for years, depending upon the magnitude of the eruption.

Not to be alarmist, but have you started? your food storage plan? Basic survival preparedness is a personal responsibility that was simply a way of life of our ancestors. Let’s not forget how.