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About 3 dozen quakes strike Eyjafjallajökull Glacier, other quake clusters near Kolbeinsey ridge and Tjörnes fracture zone
Recent IMO Assessment – dated 09 May 2010 at 15:00UTC
The plume mostly reached height of about 4-5 km shooting up to 6 km (20,000 ft) occasionally, and heading southeast despite low level easterly winds.
Deflation continued at Eyjafjallajökull volcano. No indications eruption might end soon.
Eyjafjallajökull view from Hvolsvelli
Eyjafjallajökull view from Thórólfsfelli webcam (Heat Signature)
European Air-Travel
Meanwhile, airtravellers experienced more delays today as more ash clouds drifting from Eyjafjallajökull volcano continued to disrupt some flights. Transatlantic flights faced severe disruption as planes were forced into long detours to avoid the ash cloud, thereby increasing flight times.
The air traffic volume was about 500 below the daily average of 28,500 flights today compared to 1,500 cancellations yesterday.
“We’re all at the mercy of the volcano and there is just no way of knowing how long it will continue to erupt. We would normally be getting south-westerly winds at this time of year and it’s pretty unusual to have northerly winds dominating the weather. It’s very much a day-to-day situation at the moment. The volcano died down a bit for a spell and has now got more active.” A UK Met Office spokeswoman said.
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Dozens of airports closed, hundreds of flights canceled, many more diverted.
Renewed eruption at Eyjafjallajökull caused more volcanic ash to invade European airspace, forcing a new wave of flight cancellations and airport closures in Spain, as well as parts of Ireland Italy, Portugal, Scotland and the England.
At least 28 airports were forced to close from several hours to more than a day, causing hundreds of cancellations, and many flight diversions.
There were also flight cancellation to and from Switzerland, Southern and Central France, Northern Italy and Northern Portugal.
IMO Status Report said the eruption was still in an explosive phase, with the plume reaching a height of about 5km.
Eyjafjallajökull from Hvolsvelli webcam Eyjafjallajökull eruption seen from Hvolsvelli webcam. Top of the plume is seen emerging and towering above the clouds. Click image to enlarge.
Volcanic Ash Advisory from London – Issued graphics (UK Met Office)
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Lava flows northwards from the Eyjafjallajökull crater, melting the glacial ice: Report
The local experts do not believe large-scale flooding could occur from the melt water, but then again …
Oh, and if you are wondering why everyone in Iceland is suddenly speaking about lava flow in the past tense, you’re not alone. The rascals didn’t tell anyone lava had started flowing 4 days ago!
Notice: The following updates were issued by various Icelandic organizations. Unlike the govt organizations in the US, nearly all of the information broadcast by government organizations and educational outlets in Iceland and most European countries may be subject to copyright. If your use of their data goes beyond the educational use/ fair use, be sure to contact the authors for copyright clarification/ permission.
Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management -Media team
Specialists from the Institute of the Earth Sciences (http://www.earthice.hi.is/ ) and the Icelandic Meteorological Office (http://www.vedur.is) flew over the eruption site in Eyjafjallajökull late yesterday. The lava flow seems to be of similar volume as in recent days (20-40 tons per second). The quantity of the volcanic plume is slowly decreasing. The flow of lava is most likely to have started near noon on April 21 when water started flowing continuously from Gígjökull. Steam plumes rose from the northern edges of the caldera after noon on that day and could be seen from a helicopter. Deflation associated with the volcanic tremor was noticed at the same time. There are no signs of melting or flow of water to the south. There are also no indications that the eruption is coming to an end.
There are still disruptions in domestic and international flights, according to information from ISAVIA, and passengers are therefore strongly advised to seek further information from air carriers and at: http://www.textavarp.is/ .
Icelandic Met Office Report
Eruption in Eyjafjallajökull, Iceland
Indications of lava flow to the north – 25 April 11:30
Yesterday evening, geophysicists from the Institute of the Earth Sciences found indications of lava flow from the eruption site. The risk of sudden melt water flow is, however, minor. Following is their description:
“North of crater a roughly 300 m long and wide depression has been melted out in the last three days. Steam plumes rise from the depression, especially at the margins. This is explained by lava flowing northwards from the crater with the steam rising where lava meets ice … Flow of lava is considered to have begun around noon on Wednesday 21 April.”
Icelandic Meteorological Office and Institute of Earth Sciences, UoI
Eruption in Eyjafjallajökull – status report 25 April 2010 at 1800
Eruption plume: Height( a.s.l): Unknown, not seen above cloud cover at 5.3 km.
Heading: NW
Tephra fallout: Minor (light fallout detected at two farms 10 km NW of vents)
Conditions at eruption site: Overall activity similar as yesterday. Eruption seen from west in the morning – north crater still active. External water has not affected vent activity much since 18 April. Geologists field observations (2-10 km from vents) show that explosivity is magmatic and that the tephra produced since 18 April is much coarser than during first four days. Explosions heard at Fljótshlíð, 10-15 km NW of vents. Meltwater discharge suggest similar lava activity. Processing of data obtained yesterday shows that lava had advanced 400-500 m northwards from crater, forming an ice depression extending some 700 m from vents.
Overall assessment: Magma flow rate has remained at similar level over the last few days. Plume activity is gradually declining. Flow continues flowing towards north. No signs of melting or meltwater discharge towards south. No signs of termination of eruption.Eruption in Eyjafjallajökull – status report 24 April 2010 at 1700 Eruption plume: Height( a.s.l): 13000 feet (4 km) Tephra fallout: Minor (plume dark but no reports of fallout in districts around volcano) Meltwater: 100-120 m3/s, based on gauge at old Markarfljót bridge and a rough estimate of base flow. GPS deformation: Indicates slow subsidence towards the center of the volcano. Magma flow: Eruption plume: less or equal to 10 tonnes/s. Lava flow: 10-30 tonnes/s Total magma flow: 20-40 tonnes/s
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Eyjafjallajökull has been ejecting “lumps of lava” from the volcano crater in the glacier in the past few hours, local geo-scientists have reported.
The Electric Eyjafjallajökull. Date and photographer unknown. Image may be subject to copyright. Click Source for more photos. Click image to enlarge.
A column of ash steam and fumes rises above one of the three main craters at Eyjafjallajokull glacier. April 19, 2010. Soiurce: Reuters/Jon Gustafsson/Helicopter.is/Handout.
Meanwhile, Icelandic Meteorological Office reported that ashfall in the capital Reykjavik was unlikely. The risk is mitigated by easterly wind, blowing the ash away from the capital area, and rain forecast which could reduce the risk of ashfall.
Direct observations of Eyjafjallajökull showed that lave was being splattered out of the volcano. The volcanic plume reached a height of about 3,000m (10000 feet), peaking to about 5,200m (17000 feet).
The local experts reported the plume as being mostly white, “but with very dark pillars of smoke” blending in. “According to the Icelandic Meteorological Office website, the plume rose up to 4000 meters at 8:50 this morning. A lower plume indicates that water cannot enter the crater and that lava has begun to flow into it.”A report said.
There was no report of lava flows from the volcano, as of posting.
Ash Cloud Over Europe
Weather patterns continue to blow vast pockets of ash towards the UK and Ireland.
The UK Met Office, which is the North-west European Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre with responsibility for issuing the Volcanic Ash Advisories for volcanoes erupting in this area, said their priority and role is provide information that would support decision-making by NATS, CAA and other aviation authorities .
“It is for the aviation industry and regulator to set thresholds for safe ash ingestion. Currently, world-wide advice from ICAO is based on engine and airframe manufacturers stating that aircraft should not be exposed to any volcanic ash.” It said.
The above is an illustration of volcanic ash dispersion up to 20,000 ft, issued at 7 am on 19 April. Advisory charts are issued every six hours, for up to 18 hours ahead, by the Volcanic Ash Advisory Center.
Volcanic Ash Advisory Graphics from London Met Office. Image may be subject to copyright. Click image to enlarge.
Ash cloud from Eyjafjallajökull reached Canada’s Eastern seaboard
“The ash cloud is very diffuse, moving slowly and should not affect Canadian airports,” said an Environment Canada spokeswoman.
A forecaster at UK’s Met Office said it was unlikely that the ash would drift much further into North America.
“It is just skirting into the Newfoundland area over the next 12 to 18 hours. It doesn’t look as if it is going to get much further west than that, just on the coast and a little further inland.” He said.
Newfoundland is the closest tip of North America to Iceland.
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In the left-hand image, created from visible wavelengths, new black ash deposits are visible on the ground, as well as nearby brilliant unsullied ice and snow and the volcano’s brown, billowing plume. The plume’s dark color reflects its large ash content. These fine particles of pulverized rock are carried high into the atmosphere, where they create a hazard for aviation and are carried long distances by the prevailing winds.
In contrast, the false-color, infrared image at the right reveals the intense thermal emissions (at least 60 megawatts, or 60 million watts) emanating from the vent at the base of the massive plume. This thermal emission, equivalent to the energy consumption of 60,000 homes, represents only a small proportion of the total energy being released by the volcano as its molten lava interacts violently with ice and water. Each image covers an area measuring 7.7 kilometers (4.8 miles) wide, and has a resolution of 30 meters (98 feet) per pixel. The vertical direction is north-northeast. Images and Caption: NASA [Edited for brevity.]
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Fire-Earth can confirm that the eruption at Eyjafjallajökull is intensifying with ash plume rising to a height of about 10km.
The sun turns dark: Eyjafjallajökull through Valahnúk Webcam at 07:30UTC
The eruption at Eyjafjallajökull has almost completely darkened the sky. Click image to enlarge.
Note: The Eyjafjallajökull Hvolsvelli Webcam was not operating properly, as of posting.
How Long Will Eyjafjallajökull Erupt
There is absolutely no reason why the explosive activity at Eyjafjallajökull couldn’t go on for days, weeks even months. Not only Eyjafjallajökull could follow the “Chaitén pattern” and even trigger other, larger volcanoes like Kata to erupt. Indeed, there’s historic precedence for the latter scenario.
Iceland’s Meteorological Office agrees with Fire-Earth assessment.
“The eruption could go on like that for a long time,” geophysicist Bergthora Thorbjarnardottir at the Meteorological Office said.
UKMET: Update to Volcanic Ash Plume — 0851 on Sunday 18 April 2010
“Satellite imagery Sunday morning shows an active volcanic plume spreading ash southwards and southeastwards from southern Iceland. Remnants of earlier plume activity over Europe much less evident now on derived dust imagery. Recent information from the Icelandic Met Office suggests the volcano is currently erupting ash to a height of approximately 4km. Issued at 0850 on Sun 18 Apr 2010.”
Where is the volcanic ash moving?
A diagrammatic illustration of volcanic ash dispersion up to 20,000 ft, issued at 7 pm on 17 April. Advisory charts are issued every six hours, for up to 18 hours ahead, by the Volcanic Ash Advisory Center. Source: UK Met Office.
Volcanic Ash Advisory Graphicsfrom London Met Office. Image may be subject to copyright. Click image to enlarge.
‘Chaos’ as the volcanic ash from Iceland continues to move into Europe’s airspace
About 60,000 flight will have been canceled by Sunday evening (UTC) with an estimated 12 million air travelers stranded since Thursday.
Desperate Airlines ‘Daredevil Management’ May Well End in DISASTER
About 20 countries have closed their airspaces until late Sunday, some into Monday, leaving millions of passengers globally as ash clouds from Eyjafjallajökull eruption linger on in Europe’s airspace.
Dutch and German airlines have reportedly carried out test flights, apparently without any damage to the planes. The most obvious dangers of such recklessness are the facts that the concentration of airborne ash particles is neither uniform, nor constant. High concentration of ash may exists in air pockets that the test flights avoided, or changing wind patterns could increase the concentration of ash in an air route within minutes.
In fact the weather reports say the Icelandic ash concentration in the upper atmosphere may become more concentrated through Wednesday.
Airlines are desperate because, in addition to losing money for each flight canceled, their stock values are taking a nosedive, too. In fact some of the major carriers could lose by as much as 10 percent of their share values by Tuesday.
Why is volcanic ash so dangerous?
Volcanic ash is composed of small tephra, or tiny bits of pulverized glass and rock that are created by volcanic eruptions. The particles are usually accompanied by several gases including sulfur dioxide (SO2), which is mixed with water in the air and converted into droplets of sulfuric acid and other substances that are harmful to the plane. Volcanic ash is potentially deadly to aircraft and their passengers. It poses three types of danger to aircraft by way of:
Clogging the engine and causing engine failure
Clogging the fuel and cooling systems
Melting in the hot parts of the engine, and fusing on engine components thereby causing loss of engine thrust that could lead into a flame out, shutting down the engine
Breaking the blades and other sensitive components inside the turbine
Causing physical damage to various parts of the plane including abrasion of engine parts, the airframe, as well as control and steering mechanism
Reducing visibility
Few Facts about Icelandic Volcanoes
Iceland is home to about 130 volcanoes, 18 of which have erupted since about 1,000 years ago.
Eruption from Iceland’s volcanoes have produced more than 30 percent of the total lava output globally, since the 1500s.
The Laki eruption in 1783-1784 produced he largest volume of lava in the last 500 years.
An eruption of Eldgjá in 934 CE produced twice as much lava as did Laki.
Explosion at Laki (Lakagigar) Volcanic fissure
A destructive eruption at Laki volcano, which occurred over an 8-month period in 1783–1784, ejected about 14 cubic km (3.4 cu mi) of basalt lava and plumes of poisonous hydrofluoric acid and sulfur-dioxide gas that lead to a famine in Iceland. About a quarter of the population and half of all livestock perished. Dust clouds covered most of Europe and parts of Eurasia and Africa for a year.
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Earth sinks in the sea, the fair, bright stars disappear from the heavens
Ragnarök
The sun turns dark,
earth sinks in the sea,
the fair, bright stars
disappear from the heavens.
Sizzling blaze
around the tree of life
colossal heat plays with
the heavens. —Völuspá
The above stanzas were quoted from the famous Nordic poem Völuspá in the Iceland Review. Völuspá, Prophecy of the Völva, tells the story of creation of the world and how it comes to its end, and is arguably the most important source for understanding the Norse mythology.
Yggdrasil, a modern representation of the world tree which is central to Norse mythology. The world tree is a motif that appears in some Indo-European religions and mythologies. It is represented as a giant tree that supports the heavens, connects it to the earth, and the underground through its roots.
“It was like the sun had gone out in the middle of the day.”
Iceland Review editor Bjarni Brynjólfsson and photographer Páll Stefánsson wondered how it was to drive through the area affected by the eruption: “We tried driving into the darkness and it was like we had stepped into another dimension. We felt it was the end of the world as described in Völuspá, the old Icelandic Poem the tells the story of the end of the world called Ragnarök or Götterdämmerung in the famous opera by Wagner.” More …
What Happened to Disaster Tourism?
The rascals coiled their tails and ran for the coast. Nearby roads covered in a thick blanket of volcanic ash. Credit: Ómar Óskarssonvia MBL-Is. Image may be subject to copyright.
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Eruption at Eyjafjallajökull has steadily Intensified in the past 3 hours
Eyjafjallajökull has resumed explosive activity in the past 3 hours, having earlier slowed down to sporadically ejecting single plumes of ash once every 2 to 3 minutes.
The following are latest images obtained from two webcams that are trained on Eyjafjallajökull at Valahnúk and Hvolsvelli stations. The images show a constant stream of ash, steam and fumes spewed from the Icelandic volcano.The images are provided by Míla ehf and may be subject to copyright.
Valahnúk Webcam freeze frame of Eyjafjallajökull at 08:55UTC .
Hvolsvelli Webcam Image of Eyjafjallajokull also recorded at 08:55UTC.
The following irregular sequence of images were recorded from Hvolsvelli Webcam.
[L-R and T-B] Freeze frames shows a large plume of ash, steam and gasses ejected from the volcano just after sunrise at 5;16UTC on April 17, 2010. The ash plume seen in the first frame above dispersed (second frame) within minutes of being ejected from Eyjafjallajokull; however, after a series of explosions that occurred about 30 seconds later, another plume was ejected out of the volcano’s crater. The new plume seemed to be slightly larger than the previous one. Click image to enlarge.
Another sequence of images recorded simultaneously from Hvolsvelli and Valahnúk Webcams.
[T – B] The above freeze frames were recorded at about 5:31UTC, showing single plumes of ash and gasses ejected from Eyjafjallajokul. Click image to enlarge.
[T – B] The above freeze frames were recorded at about 5:35UTC. Most of the frames show two plumes, indicating a gradual increase in the frequency of eruptions at Eyjafjallajokul. Click image to enlarge.
This frame was recorded at 5:40UTC showing 3 plumes which meant the eruptions at Eyjafjallajokul had further intensified. Click image to enlarge.
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40,000 flights grounded since Thursday to avoid engine failure from Eyjafjallajökull ash
A new round of flooding has affected the areas around Eyjafjallajokull, as hot gases from the volcano continue to break up and melt the glacier that covers it.
Huge volumes of floodwater and massive chunks of ice, some reportedly as large as 3-story apartment blocks, have forced about 1,000 locals to evacuate their homes, most of them for a second time in 3 days. The floodwaters have almost completely washed off a causeway along the flooded Markarfljot river, which was severely damaged in the first round of flooding.
According to a local report, the eruption is somewhat weakening, and Eyjafjallajökull is producing less ash, for now.
Sunrise at Eyjafjallajokull
Valahnúk Webcam freeze frame of Eyjafjallajökull shortly after sunrise.
Hvolsvelli Webcam Image of Eyjafjallajokull. Freeze frame shows a large plume of ash, steam and gasses ejected from the volcano just after sunrise at 5;16UTC on April 17, 2010. The ash plume seen above dispersed within minutes of appearing, but about 30 seconds and a series of explosions later, a larger plume was spewed out of the volcano’s crater. See the dramatic sequences in the next update.
Click image to enlarge.
Staff from the Icelandic Meteorological Office flew with the Icelandic Coast Guard to the Eyjafjallajökull eruption site on the afternoon of April 16th 2010. At 4 pm the volcanic ash cloud was clearly visible above the cloud deck, rising at times to at least 30,000 feet. Steady winds from the east-north-east moved the cloud away from the volcano. The cloud height was variable from 25 to 30,000 feet and its colour varied from dark to white, depending on how much ash was in the cloud. Credit: Icelandic Met Office. Image may be subject to copyright.
The Surreality Test. Credit: Jónas Erlendsson via MBL-Is. Image may be subject to copyright.
The above photo shows the outlet glacier, which is dark at the top due to mud from the flash floods. At the base the glacier flows to the right of a large cracked rock.Credit: Icelandic Met Office. Image may be subject to copyright. More Photos…
A diagrammatic illustration of volcanic ash dispersion up to 20,000 ft, issued at 7 pm on 16 April. Advisory charts are issued every six hours, for up to 18 hours ahead, by the Volcanic Ash Advisory Center. Source: UK Met Office.
The ash particles range in size from 15 × 20 µm to 70 × 85 µm. (1 µm is a millionth of a meter, or a thousands of a millimeter).
Ash dust particles (at ×400) collected from Aberdeen on the morning of 16 April. These particles are approximately 60 × 70 µm.
Ash dust particles at ×100. Source and Copyright Scottish Environment Protection Agency.
Geoengineer This! Credit: Golli / Kjartan Þorbjörnsson via MBL-Is. Image may be subject to copyright.
What Happend to Disaster Tourism? The rascals coiled their tails and ran for the coast. Nearby roads covered in a thick blanket of volcanic ash. Credit: Ómar Óskarssonvia MBL-Is. Image may be subject to copyright.
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Ash cloud from Eyjafjallajökull eruption has grounded about 30,000 flights, so far!
Ash from Iceland’s erupting Eyjafjallajökull Volcano had drifted over northern Europe by April 16, 2010. The brown ash is mixed with clouds in this photo-like image taken by MODIS on NASA’s Terra satellite at 12:45 p.m. local time (GMT/UTC+2) on April 16,2010. The visible ash sweeps in an arc across the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, and Russia. Additional ash is most probably masked by clouds. Source: NASA. Click image to enlarge.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this natural-color image on April 15, 2010. A volcanic plume blows from Eyjafjallajökull Volcano in southern Iceland toward the east-southeast. The plume’s tan hue indicates a high ash content. Volcanic ash consists of tiny jagged particles of rock which can cause engine failure, if sucked into an airplane’s turbines. Source: NASA. Click image to enlarge.
DLR, TerraSAR-X, via Associated Press
A computer enhanced image of Eyjafjallajokull glacier in Iceland acquired by the TerraSAR-X satellite on April 16, 2010 (late PM). Image may be subject to copyright. Click image to enlarge.
For the latest Eyjafjallajökull update and links see
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Much volcanic activity may occur in Iceland during the coming months: Eyjafjallajökull, perhaps Katla, Laki and others … even Jan Mayen their northerly neighbor could kick in keeping more flights grounded
Eyjafjallajökull Eruption Has Grounded Flights Across Much of Europe for a Second Day
As the eruption at Eyjafjallajökull volcano continues unabated, more smoke and ash from the glacier-filled volcano in Iceland drifts into Europe’s airspace, affecting up to a million air passengers. The disruption could continue into the weekend and beyond.
A radar image of the three craters emerging from under the Eyjafjallajokull glacier April 16, 2010. Credit: Icelandic Coast Guard
As of posting, up to 8,000 flights have been canceled since a no-fly zone was declared in northern Europe on Thursday. The airspace from as far west as the Republic of Ireland to Finland and was Western Russia are now closed. The countries that are directly affected and whose airspace have been shut down are: Republic of Ireland, Norway, UK, Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden and Finland.
Additionally there is a partial or planned no-fly zones currently operating in the northern airspace of three other countries: France, Germany and Poland.
Volcanic Ash and fumes (dark yellow, mustard and various shades of brown) from Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull eruption drift toward NW Europe. Copyright EUMETSAT 2010. Click image to enlarge.
How long Will the Eruption Last?
“It is likely that the production of ash will continue at a comparable level for some days or weeks. But where it disrupts travel, that depends on the weather,” Einar Kjartansson, a geophysicist at the Icelandic Meteorological Office, told the reporters.
The last time the subglacial volcano erupted, it went on ejecting ash for a period of two years, from 1821 to 1823.
Ash Drifting Very Slowly
In the absence of wind the ash cloud is “progressing very slowly eastwards” and has remained “very dense,” the European air traffic control, Eurocontrol, has said.
“In general, the situation cannot be said to be improving with any certainty,” the National Air Traffic Service in the UK was quoted as saying.
The European air traffic control organisation, Eurocontrol, said a lack of wind meant the ash cloud created by the volcano underneath Iceland’s Eyjafjallajoekull glacier was “progressing very slowly eastwards” and remained “very dense”.
In addition to the European airlines, at least 5 other long-haul airlines have canceled flights to Europe.
Related Links:
Videos
Video footage of the new volcanic eruption on Eyjafjallajökull glacier in south Iceland and flooding in Markarfljót river is posted here.
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Eyjafjallajökull eruption 10 times more powerful than Fimmvörduháls Eruption in March: Iceland volcanologist
The eruption which occurred 200 meter beneath the Eyjafjallajokull glacier has intensified after ejecting a 6.7-km plume of ash and smoke into the air and causing extensive flooding south of Iceland, volcanologist Armannn Hoskuldsson at University of Iceland said. He noted that the eruption was 10 times more powerful than the March 20 Fimmvörduháls eruption.
“It’s becoming more intense, but there will be no lava—this is purely an explosive eruption,” Reuters quoted him as saying.
Eruption at Eyjafjallajökull glacier melts Gígjökull glacial tongue, causing extensive flooding in Markarfljót river, south of Iceland. Credit: Vefbold-Island. Image may be subject to copyright.
Volcanic Ash and Smoke forces cancellation of about 4,500 flights throughout N. Europe
Maps of Ash Drift from Eyjafjallajökull Eruption. Source: RUV Island. Image may be subject to copyright. Click image to enlarge.
A cloud of volcanic ash is seen between Iceland (TOP L) and Scotland, in northern Britain, in this handout satellite photograph taken at 0800 GMT on Thursday, and received from Britain’s Met Office in London on April 15, 2010. Airport operator BAA said on Thursday it expected all flights in and out of London’s Heathrow and Stansted airports to be suspended from 12:00 p.m. due to a cloud of volcanic ash from an eruption in Iceland. The grids and coastlines were superimposed on the photograph by the Met Office. Credit: REUTERS/EUMETSAT/Met Office/Handout. Click image to enlarge.
Non-Stop Eruption
Eyjafjallajökull has been erupting for more than 24 hours, disrupting air traffic throughout northern Europe. Britain’s National Air Traffic Service (NATS) declared Britain’s airs pace a no-fly zone. Only emergency flights are allowed in British air space.
The situation is pretty much the same across the region. Airlines have canceled or diverted thousands of flights from Norway, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Holland, Denmark, Finland and Sweden.
Markarfljót river located to the west of Eyjafjallajökull glacier flooded for the second time last night, a local report said, describing the second flood as “completely unlike the first one.” The earlier floodwater measured about 4 degrees Celsius and was ice free. The second flood, however, was said to have a high ice content with large quantities of ice chunks measuring up to 15 cm thick The latter flood water was also colder than the first measuring degrees Celsius C. The floodwaters have caused extensive damage to roads and bridges.
The ash fall from the eruption has covered thousands of hectares of land to the east of the glacier Iceland’s fifth largest, in a thick blanket of ash.
Up to 800 people have fled their homes or been evacuated by the authorities.
Videos
Video footage of the new volcanic eruption on Eyjafjallajökull glacier in south Iceland and flooding in Markarfljót river is posted here.
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Katla volcano may be next in line to erupt: Fire-Earth
New volcanic eruption at Eyjafjallajökull melts Gígjökull glacial tongue, causing extensive flooding in Markarfljót river, south of Iceland
Eruption at Eyjafjöll is consistent with recent global patterns of volcanism and tectonism. Wild eruptions may occur in Iceland and elsewhere—Fire-Earth [March 22]
Eyjafjallajökull erupts, causing extensive flooding. Photo credit: MBL-IS. Image may be subject to copyright.Click image to enlarge.
Geologists who flew over Eyjafjallajökull glacier said a deep fault trough has occurred around the crater below the summit of the glacier.
The gap measures about 500 meters, a report said. However, the geologists were unable to detect any vents or signs of eruption due to the cloud cover.
The eruption which occurred in the top crater, buried about 200m beneath the ice, ejected a large plume of volcanic ash that reached a height of about 6,700m (22,000 feet) and there was ash fall to the east of Fimmvörduháls.
The glacial river has flooded at a rate of about 1,000 cubic meters per second, a report said.
Air Traffic Suspended North of Norway
Norway has suspended air traffic in its northern airspace due to the threat of engine damage from the impact of volcanic ash that has traveled far covering a vast area after the eruption at Eyjafjallajökull glacier. The ash and smoke particles in the air have also reduced visibility considerably, a report said.
Maps of Ash Drift from Eyjafjallajökull Eruption. Source: RUV Island. Image may be subject to copyright. Click image to enlarge.
“We have closed the aviation area between Bodoe and Tromsoe and are considering closing the aviation area all the way south to Trondheim,” Sindre Aanonsen, spokesperson for the Norwegian air traffic control center said to reporters.
Fimmvörduháls Eruption
The eruption at Fimmvörduháls, which began on March 20, has extended the height of the mountain by about 82 meters, geologists were reported as saying.
Eyjafjallajökull volcano’s lava fountains (April 13, 2010). Photo: Patrick Koster, Barcroft/Fame Pictures/ via National Geographic. Image may be subject to copyright. Click image to enlarge.
Earlier Videos
Video footage of the new volcanic eruption on Eyjafjallajökull glacier in south Iceland and flooding in Markarfljót river is posted here.
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Fimmvörduháls Eruption May be Intensifying – A Second Fissure Has Appeared
A new volcanic fissure has appeared near Eyjafjallajökull in southern Iceland to the northwest of the original fissure on March 31. It may be a sign that the eruption at Fimmvörduháls is intensifying.
A pilot on a sight-seeing flight observed the vent at about 7:00PM on Wednesday (local time). He saw a sudden flash of light followed by a new rift, which opened up immediately after, a report said.
The natural-color satellite image (ALI on NASA’s EO-1) above shows a new fissure at Fimmvörduháls near Eyjafjallajökull ejecting steam. The vent, which appeared on March 31, is located northwest of the original vent. Source: NASA
Map of the Lava flow. Click image to enlarge. Full map including flow data and legend available at Map of the lava flow from 21 – 31 March 2010 (by Eyjólfur Magnússon, pdf file)
Latest and the most spectacular video of the eruption:
Eyjafjöll Volcano on Fimmvörduháls Continues Erupting
As volcanic activity at the Fimmvörduháls in south Iceland waxes and wanes, an expert said up to 20 million cubic meters of pyroclasts may have been ejected from the fissure.
Local geophysicist Magnús Tumi Gudmundsson said the volcano may have spewed an estimated, 15-20 million cubic meters of tephra since the eruption began on March 21. The lava now covers an area of about one square kilometer, he told a local newspaper.
Tephra fountain seen at Fimmvörduháls. Source . Image may be subject to copyright. Click image to enlarge.
Lava Fall created by eruption at Iceland’s Fimmvörduháls Source. Image may be subject to copyright.Click image to enlarge.
The following images pertain to Iceland’s 0.5-km long volcanic fissure on the northern side of Fimmvörðuháls, east of the Eyjafjallajökull ice cap, which began erupting on March 20, 2010.
From Heljarkambur, looking down into Hrunagil, 22nd March 2010 at 16:00. Lava flows into the gully. The snow is covered with ash. Photo: Einar Kjartansson. Image may be subject to copyright. Source: Icelandic Met Office
Hrunagil 15th July 2007, just south of Heljarkambur. Mudcovered ice at the bottom of the gully. Photo: Einar Kjartansson. Image may be subject to copyright. Source: Icelandic Met Office.
The new mountain rises behind the crater. Photo by Páll Stefánsson. (Undated, but cover story published on March 26, 2010.) Source: Iceland Review. Image may be subject to copyright.
Eyjafjallajökull volcanic system erupted in the south of Iceland, forcing up to five hundred people to evacuate the area, prompting the authorities to declare a state of emergency and imposing a NO FLY Zone over much of Icelandic airspace.
Eruption at Eyjafjöll is consistent with recent global patterns of volcanism and tectonism. Wild eruptions may occur in Iceland and elsewhere—Fire-Earth
Eyjafjöll Volcanic System Erupts
Eyjafjallajökull volcanic system erupted in the south of Iceland, forcing up to five hundred people to evacuate the area, prompting the authorities to declare a state of emergency and imposing a NO FLY Zone over much of Icelandic airspace.
At least three flights en-route Reykjavik from the US were ordered back to Boston, and up to 1,500 are currently stranded in the Reykjavik airport.
Where the Eruption Occurred
Location of the Eruptive Fissure. Source: Nordic Volcanological Center. Click image to enlarge.
How Eruption Occurred
Eruption began at 23:52UTC on 20 March 2010 at the Eyjafjallajökull volcanic system (also known as Eyjafjöll volcano). A red cloud appeared above the volcano, which lightened up the sky above the eruptive fissure. “The eruption was preceded with intense seismicity and high rates of deformation in the weeks before the eruption, in association with magma recharging of the volcano. Immediately prior to the eruption the depth of seismicity had become shallow, but was not significantly enhanced from what it had been in the previous weeks. Deformation was occurring at rates of up to a centimetre a day since March 4 at continuous GPS sites installed within 12 km from the eruptive site.” IESUI reported.
“The eruption broke out with fire fountains and Hawaiian eruptive style on about 500 m long NE-SW oriented eruptive fissure at N63º38.1′, W19º26.4′ on the northeast shoulder of the volcano at an elevation of about 1000 m. It was observed from air from 4-7 A.M. on March 21. Lava flows short distance from the eruptive site, and minor eruption plume at elevation less than 1 km was deflected by wind to the west. Volcanic explosive index (VEI) is 1 or less. Tephra fall is minor or insignificant. The eruption occurs just outside the ice cap of Eyjafjallajökull, and no ice melting is occurring at present.”
Surface temperature satellite image taken by MODIS shows the location of the eruption. Source: NASA via Nordic Volcanological Center. Click image to enlarge.
Source: Nordic Volcanological Center. Click image to enlarge.
The eruption occurred at a fissure on a 2 km wide pass of ice-free land between Eyjafjallajökull and its large neighbor Katla volcano which is buried under Myrdalsjökull ice cap. “Katla volcano is known for powerful subglacial phreatomagmatic eruptions producing basaltic tephra layers with volumes ranging from ~0.01 to more than 1 cubic kilometer.” Institute of Earth Sciences at University of Iceland (IESUI) reported.
Eyjafjallajökull is known to have erupted at least three times in the last 1100 years (settlement of Iceland). “The most recent began in December 1821 and lasted intermittently for more than a year. The neighbouring volcano Katla erupted then on 26 June 1823. Other eruptions include an eruption in 1612 or 1613, and about 920 A.D.”
Eyjafjallajökull is known for several episodes of unrest, “with documented sill intrusions in 1994 and 1999.”
The 2.5-km-wide summit caldera of Eyjafjöll located west of Katla volcano. Photo by Oddur Sigurdsson, 1992 (Icelandic National Energy Authority). Click image to enlarge.
Seismic Activity
Eyjafjallajökull has been experiencing intensive Seismic activity since late February with most of the shocks occurring at 7 to 10 km depth. “On March 19th a seismic swarm began east of the top crater, originating between 4 and 7 km depth.” Iceland Met Office reported.
“On March 19th a seismic swarm, began east of the top crater, originating between 4 and 7 km depth. The activity migrated eastwards and towards the surface on Saturday, March 20th.”
What Local Experts Say
Scientists at Nordic Volcanological Center say further volcanic activity in the area may be imminent, based on the fact that three previous eruptions at Eyjafjallajokull had all primed the powerful Katla volcano to erupt.
“What we know is that an eruption in Eyjafjallajokull seems to be a trigger for Mt Katla,” geophysicist Pall Einarsson said.
“The volcano has been inflating since the beginning of the year, both rising and swelling, even though we were seeing increased seismic activity, it could have been months or years before we saw an eruption like this.”
Einarsson believes that an eruption at Mt Katla would be a much greater and more serious event because molten lava would melt the glacier causing large-scale flooding.
Geophysicist Magnus Gudmundsson says it’s impossible to predict how long the Eyjafjallajokull eruption could last. “It could end tomorrow, it could go on for a year or two, but this is a small eruption.”
More facts about Icelandic Volcanoes:
Mt Katla last erupted in 1918.
The most recent eruption at an Icelandic volcano occurred in 2004.
Eyjafjallajokull Volcanic System was dormant since 1821.
Iceland has experienced 21 eruptions in the past 50 years.
Only one of the 21 eruption caused serious damage when a volcano erupted in Westmann islands in 1973.
Map of Iceland Earthquakes (Last 48 hours) – Icelandic Met Office
Fire Earth 
