Iceland Review editor and photographer Páll Stefánsson flew over the volcanic eruption in Holuhraun, the northeastern highlands, along with Morgunblaðið photographer Ragnar Axelsson (aka RAX) yesterday. It was Páll’s fifth trip to the eruption site. They observed a red hot river of lava flowing through blackened lava fields.
“It’s a massive eruption and even though we have started noticing some changes to it, the activity is still intense,” volcanologist Ármann Höskuldsson at the University of Iceland Earth Science Institute said in an interview with mbl.is today.
Bárðarbunga volcano looked peaceful under the pristine white Vatnajökull icecap. Photo: Páll Stefánsson.
Last week scientists observed fluctuations in the volcanic plume with powerful jets being emitted sporadically. They also noted pulsing in the lava flow.
The intensity of the eruption has declined and the lava flow is now only a quarter of what it was when the eruption was at its most intense stage. Yet 60-100 cubic meters (2,119-3,532 cubic feet) of lava are currently being emitted every second.
