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A half-mile ice cap means that the ice has accumulated at a rate of 8 meters per year since the last major eruption 99 years ago. That's equivalent to several d
by kijin 10y ago
A half-mile ice cap means that the ice has accumulated at a rate of 8 meters per year since the last major eruption 99 years ago. That's equivalent to several dozen meters of snowfall per year.
I wonder if the caldera really gets that much snow, or if the last few eruptions were too small to melt all the ice in the caldera.
- SideburnsOfDoom 10y agoI would assume that since a caldera is usually shaped like a cup, there is some flow towards the center where it's deeper. I.e. like with water flowing into a lake, the glacier has a catchment area.
- throwaway5752 10y agoI think both of you are correct. Just dumping links for the record: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%BDrdalsj%C3%B6kull https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%BDrdalsj%C3%B6kull is the glacier. "Mýrdalsjökull is an exceedingly wet location, with models suggesting it receives more than 10 metres of precipitation annually" Here is 30 yr avg annual precipitation (1970-2000) from the Icelandic Meteorological Office http://www.vedur.is/vedur/vedurfar/kort/medalurkoma_a/ http://www.vedur.is/vedur/vedurfar/kort/medalurkoma_a/ (Katla is under the deep blue southernmost area). The caldera has pronounce subsidence, as seen at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katla_(volcano)#/media/File:Eyjafjallaj%C3%B6kull_en_Katla.png https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katla_(volcano)#/media/File:Ey... For a bonus, about halfway down this has a picture of the glacier after a minor eruption: https://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=372030 https://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=372030
- SideburnsOfDoom 10y agoFrom being in Iceland for a few days, it appears to be an "exceedingly wet location" in general. Magnificent waterfalls are one effect.