The volcanic eruption on Fimmvörduháls, which comes from the volcano underneath the Eyjafjallajökull icecap in south Iceland, is changing in character. A cumulus rose up from the fissure around 7:15 am, reaching a height of four kilometers.
Photo by Ragnar Axelsson. Copyright: mbl.is.
An eyewitness described the scene to ruv.is as if a black tinge is hanging over Fimmvörduháls and Eyjafjallajökull.
Geologist Hjörleifur Sveinbjörnsson at the Icelandic Meteorological Office is following the development of the eruption.
He said the activity which increased about an hour ago is decreasing again. Instead of a large cumulus there are now small puffs, yet they release a large amount of volcanic debris into the atmosphere.
The jet from the eruption zone reaches a height of approximately eight kilometers and is light in color. It is likely that it is mixed with water, which indicates that a steam explosion with an increased volume of water has entered the system.
Seismic activity hasn’t increased at all, Sveinbjörnsson said.
Thorgils Torfi Jónsson, chairman of the rural council of Rangárthing ytra, is located at Hella and has a good view of Fimmvörduháls. He said it is evident that the fissure has extended to the northeast.
Jónsson described the scene as if there were two volcanic eruptions at both ends of the fissure, which is now around two kilometers.
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