Hello Sander.
It is still not allowed to walk further than to Víti they say.
In one of the first news I saw about this, they said that the surface
of the lake had risen two meters after the landslide.
And some of the flood waves splashed all the way in to Víti.
This area was created only 139 years ago, so it´s still under construction.
Maby it was a landslide like that which killed Walter von Knebel and the painter Max Rudloff in 1907
they were never found again ?
Below is some visdom from the Vatnajökulsþjóðgarður park.
Regards
Þ G.
P.S. news from the icelandic Met office: http://en.vedur.is/about-imo/news/nr/2919
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Askja
Askja is a caldera (sunken crater) in a central volcano in the Dyngjufjöll Mountains. It is the centre of a volcano system with many fissures, including the Sveingjár crater row.
The mountains emerged in eruptions under an Ice Age glacier cap. Askja itself was formed, for the most part, at the end of the Ice Age in a major ash eruption which caused the roof of the magma chamber at the heart of the central volcano to subside. A deep circular depression remained that gradually began to fill with lava from subsequent eruptions around the rim of the depression. The bottom of Askja is currently at an altitude of 1100 m while the rim is 1300-1500 m above sea level. The term askja(the Icelandic word for caldera) is used in the names of many similar formations in other locations.
Lake Askja is the deepest lake in Iceland with a depth of more than 200 m. It was formed in 1875 when a powerful eruption occurred in the south of the caldera. Almost 2.5 cubic kilometres of volcanic material surged up from the vent in just a few hours. The process was similar to the sequence of events that originally created Askja. After the eruption, the magma chamber ceiling began to subside, eventually stopping almost 250 metres below its initial level. The depression filled with ground water and Lake Askja was formed.
Between 1922 and 1929, several small eruptions occurred around the edge of the new depression.
Víti - warm lake in a crater
In fact, the caldera contains several volcanoes, including Víti, a maar (explosive volcanic crater) formed at the end of the eruption in 1875. Water has accumulated in the crater. Its temperature is variable, depending on how much meltwater is discharged into it in springtime - it is around 30°C on average. The depth of the water is greatest at the centre, more than 8 metres. Víti is a popular bathing site, but if you intend taking a dip, please be aware that the sloping path is very slippery in wet weather and the mud at the bottom is quite hot, especially on the eastern bank. There is also a danger of rocks falling from the edges.
Eruptions and lava
Askja has erupted several times in recorded history. It played a significant part in driving people away from East Iceland after 1875. The most recent eruption in Askja was in 1961 when lava flowed across Vikrahraun. American astronauts trained in this area - the landscape was thought to be similar to that on the moon.
Vikruborgir was the site of further eruptions in 1961. Askja is still active, and its base is still gradually sinking. This unique natural phenomenon is certainly alive and kicking, and it will continue to remind people from time to time that Iceland is still in a state of formation.
The lower slopes of Askja are covered with rough aa lava
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