Bárðarbunga
© mbl.is/Á​rni Sæ­bergBárðarbunga
A small lava-erupti­on has been detected und­er the Dyngju­jök­ull glacier. Dyngju­jök­ull is a part Vatna­jök­ull, not far from Bárðarbunga.

The Icelandic Co­ast Guard airpla­ne TF-SIF is flying over the area with representati­ves from the Civil Protecti­on and experts from the Icelandic Met Offic and the Institu­te of Earth Sciences. Data from the equip­ment on bo­ard is expected later today.

Data from radars and webca­meras are being recei­ved, show­ing no signs of changes at the surface.

The estima­te is that 150-400 meters of ice is abo­ve the area.

The aviati­on col­or code for the Bárðarbunga volcano has been changed from orange to red.

Up­da­te at 15:30

Three con­fir­mati­ons

Mel­issa Anne Pf­ef­fer at the IMO says that the Met Office will use three me­ans to con­firm that an erupti­on has started.

The first one is al­rea­dy in. Gadgets at the IMO picked up rea­dings that ice and lava had touched und­er the glacier, indicat­ing an erupti­on. The rea­dings were the same as the IMO picked up when Fimm­vörðuháls erupted.

The second con­fir­mati­on will come in the form of increa­sed water flow in the Jök­ulsá á Fjöll­um ri­ver. Cur­rently, pho­ne systems are mal­f­uncti­on­ing, so that the IMO does not have live up­da­tes from their stati­on. A con­fir­mati­on by these me­ans will only be recei­ved 3 to 6 hours af­ter an erupti­on has started.

Increa­sed flow in the ri­ver is caused by the melt­ing of the glacier.

The third con­fir­mati­on would be any visual changes in the glacier. However, it is not known if the erupti­on will be powerf­ul enough to break through the glacier.

Up­da­te 16:39

This is not the erupti­on: Some people have been follow­ing webcams placed on Bárðarbunga. Cur­rently, th­ere is a sand­storm th­ere, but not an erupti­on.