The beautiful new crater in Holuhraun could be on the brink of bursting. According to Gro Birkefeldt Møller Pedersen, geologist and Institute of Earth Sciences' mission leader at the eruption site, air surveillance has shown that fractures have begun to form in the north side of the crater.
Now lava overflows the crater's lower northeast ledge but if the north wall crumbles the main lava flow could find a new outlet, running to the northwest and expanding the ever-growing lava field in a new direction.
The crater has built up close to 100 meters (328 ft.) since the eruption began August 31st (for scale imagine a 20 story high building) and is at least 400 meters (1,312 ft.) long and 100 meters (328 ft.) wide.
Read more: New Holuhraun lava field is sealing in one of world's large dust source
Scientists from the Institute of Earth Sciences have just started a new mission to the eruption site. The main objective is to study more closely the composition of volcanic gas emissions from the eruption, Gro Birkefeldt told RÚV. High values of sulphuric dioxide are still being recorded.
According to a status report from the Scientific Advisory Board of the Icelandic Civil Protection, published today, sulfur dioxide was recorded at 1,800 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m3) last Friday in the town of Höfn in Hornafjörður and around 1,750 µg/m3 in Reykjahlíd village last Sunday. Sulfur dioxide is considered to have reached unhealthy levels when it exceeds 600 micrograms per cubic meter.
The beautiful new crater in Holuhraun could be on the brink of bursting. According to Gro Birkefeldt Møller Pedersen, geologist and Institute of Earth Sciences' mission leader at the eruption site, air surveillance has shown that fractures have begun to form in the north side of the crater.
Now lava overflows the crater's lower northeast ledge but if the north wall crumbles the main lava flow could find a new outlet, running to the northwest and expanding the ever-growing lava field in a new direction.
The crater has built up close to 100 meters (328 ft.) since the eruption began August 31st (for scale imagine a 20 story high building) and is at least 400 meters (1,312 ft.) long and 100 meters (328 ft.) wide.
Read more: New Holuhraun lava field is sealing in one of world's large dust source
Scientists from the Institute of Earth Sciences have just started a new mission to the eruption site. The main objective is to study more closely the composition of volcanic gas emissions from the eruption, Gro Birkefeldt told RÚV. High values of sulphuric dioxide are still being recorded.
According to a status report from the Scientific Advisory Board of the Icelandic Civil Protection, published today, sulfur dioxide was recorded at 1,800 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m3) last Friday in the town of Höfn in Hornafjörður and around 1,750 µg/m3 in Reykjahlíd village last Sunday. Sulfur dioxide is considered to have reached unhealthy levels when it exceeds 600 micrograms per cubic meter.
