For the second day in a row there is no activity in the Eyjafjallajökull volcano. Only a small trace of smoke comes up from the crater but no ash, lava or any other material. The web camera from Míla shows a calm glacier on a beautiful day.
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Photo: Ómar Ragnarsson
Yesterday, Sunday, at five in the afternoon Ómar Ragnarson, the pilot and reporter, wrote a report on his blog: “I managed to get a picture before eleven this morning, probably the only picture where the top part of the ice rift through Gígjökull is clearly visible with new lava, the crater itself and the steam coming from it are all clearly visible.
Conclusion: No volcanic matter is coming out, only steam.”
According to Manús Tumi Gudmundsson, geophysicist at the Icelandic Met Office, the highest temperature reading yesterday afternoon was 100 degrees Celsius, far from the heat necessary to melt rock. This confirms that no lava is coming from the volcano.
Even though people are hesitant in claiming that the eruption is over, hotel manager Fridrik Pálsson at Hótel Rangá, a popular spot for tourists, scientists and reporters covering the eruption, said that already on Sunday he started getting phone calls from people who want to book rooms, now that the area is “safe”. Pálsson said: “This could not have come at a better time. The summer had looked like one of the best tourist seasons ever before the eruption. Some had hesitated, but now they can come and see the exciting area in safety.”
Click here to read other recent news of the eruption.
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