ICELAND:THE SPEWING of ash from the eruption site at Eyjafjallajökull volcano is likely to decrease in the coming days, although a chance eruption of molten rock could reverse the trend and maintain the outburst for days to come.
“You never know what comes next when it comes to this volcano. Anything can happen,” Prof Haraldur Sigurdsson, a world authority on volcanoes, said after observing the volcano from close range on Saturday.
“Should the molten rock flow towards another part of the crater still covered by ice we might witness a similar intensity in the spread of ash as shortly after the eruption.”
Prof Sigurdsson observed the eruption site from the air and by landing by helicopter close to the crater’s rim. Less than a half of the 250m thick ice shield had been melted.
While the ash has disrupted air travel in Europe, clear skies provided residents of Reykjavik with stunning views of the magnificent eruption column roughly 160km east of the capital.
In sharp contrast, farmers and local communities battled the intense downpour of talcum powder-like ash near the crater on Saturday.
Winds have directed most of the ash away from population centres in the area.