[U 12.19.23 Late: Ash Cloud Now Too Thick To See Through.] Katla -- Now Come To Life -- In Iceland, Tonight.

This is one of those times. . . when I wish the geologists hadn't been right.

The nearby infrastructure in southern Iceland, as well as Grindavík's homes (the closest town). . . are in significant peril of being buried several feet of under gray ash, or swallowed entirely, by lava flows. The large scale eruption is here -- but it is likely just beginning. Here's the latest:

. . .Thousands of earthquakes had been detected in Iceland since late October, according to the Icelandic Meteorological Office. In November, with homes and roads being damaged, the authorities declared a state of emergency and evacuated Grindavík, a town of more than 3,000 people near the volcano.

In just the past two years, there have been three eruptions on the Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland’s most populated corner and home to its capital. When Grindavík was ordered evacuated on Nov. 11, the authorities said in a statement that the country was “highly prepared for such events.”

“Iceland has one of the world’s most effective volcanic preparedness measures,” it said on its website. . . .

The scale of it is hard to convey. . . but it is nearly the worst case scenario, based on the earlier predictive data we mentioned just a month ago:



Updated @ 10 pm EST, 12.19.2023 -- the ash cloud is now so thick, you cannot see the lava flow. But you've now likely seen the pictures and video in the NYT. It is. . . astonishing -- all of it. End, update.

Let us hope that. . . dopplegangers don't start emerging from the deep gray ash. . . in the night. Smile. . . .

नमस्ते