The Holuhraun lava field in Iceland is erupting, releasing large quantities of lava onto the icy landscape. A massive eruption could send ash and debris into the air, potentially wreaking havoc with air travel.
The Icelandic Met Office issued a warning of a fissure eruption in Holuhraun. This has raised the warning level for volcanic eruption to red, the highest of five levels in the scale. Red signifies an eruption has been witnessed, or is imminent.
Thousands of earthquakes were measured throughout the Bardarbunga volcano system over two weeks. The geological network of magma chambers stretches for 118 miles, averaging 15.5 miles in width.
On 29 Aug., an eruption at the Vatnajokull glacier resulted in a fissure nearly 2,000 feet long. This release lasted just a few hours, and no significant levels of ash were recorded during the event. The most recent eruption was slightly larger than the earlier event.
"This is a little bit larger fissure eruption than on Friday. There is more lava and more rifts in the ice cap. The rifts are approximately 1 km further to the north than after the fissure eruption on Friday," Armann Hoskuldsson, a geologist at the University of Iceland, told the press.
Lava continued to flow from Holuhraun, heading a small distance north from the site of the eruption. The release of debris from the event was recorded by satellites and ground-based lidar.
The Met office conducted a flight over the site of the eruption on 1 Sept., collecting information on current conditions. Joining them were researchers from the University of Iceland and observers from the Icelandic Civil Protection.
"When Sunday's eruption began earthquake activity decreased somewhat, although... over 500 earthquakes [were] detected..." Iceland's Met Office reported.
The fissure released between 10,600 and 17,700 cubic feet of lava, creating lava flows between 20 and 25 feet. Magma poured through the fissure at a rate of 35,000 cubic feet every second.
"The eruption is producing 50- to 60-metre high lava fountains," Armann Hoskuldsson, geologist with the University of Iceland, said.
The eruption at Holuhraun did not occur under the glacier, so ash production was minimal. A massive release of lava, accompanied by large quantities of ash, could play havoc with air traffic throughout Europe. The material, shot high into the sky, can enter jet engines, being transformed into glass by the tremendous heat. Once that happens, it can clog the engine, potentially leading to failure.
The Eyjafjallajokull volcano, sitting in another part of the island nation, erupted in 2010. This event disrupted air traffic around Europe for six days.
