The eruption in Holuhraun shows no signs of slowing down. The new lava field is now more than 73 square kilometres (28.2 sq mi) and continues to grow. On average the new lava has covered an area the size of a football pitch (100m x 60m/328ft x 197ft ) every 5-6 minutes, since the start of the eruption on August 29th.
It's estimated that in 60 days Holuhraun had produced around 1 cubic kilometer (240,251 cu mi) of lava, making it the fastest flowing lava eruption on Earth in two centuries.
However, the enormous amount of lava is not of concern. Holuhraun is in the middle of nowhere, in Iceland's remote and uninhabitable central highlands. This is an area that has been burnt by volcanoes for centuries. It's the by-product of sulfur dioxide (SO2) that is unsettling scientist and others.
According to the Icelandic Met office the eruption in Holuhraun produces around 30-40 thousand tonnes of sulfur dioxide per day. If it continues at similar a rate for the next year it will have produced around 13 million tonnes.
That’s a lot but dwarfs when compared to the infamous Laki eruption (1783-84), which pumped up around 120 million tonnes of sulfur dioxide in just eight months and brought widespread misery around the globe.
Although not being on that gigantic scale the Holuhraun sulfur dioxide emission is raising concerns in Iceland as there's no telling when the eruption will stop. It could go on for months or maybe years.
High amount of sulfur dioxide is bad both for people and the environment.
Air pollution in populated areas is now closely monitored with the Icelandic Met Office offering gas predictions and warnings if the pollution is intense.
In the long term sulfur dioxide can lead to acid rain, which effects wildlife in marshes, streams, rivers and lakes in Iceland and neighbouring countries.
The eruption in Holuhraun shows no signs of slowing down. The new lava field is now more than 73 square kilometres (28.2 sq mi) and continues to grow. On average the new lava has covered an area the size of a football pitch (100m x 60m/328ft x 197ft ) every 5-6 minutes, since the start of the eruption on August 29th.
It's estimated that in 60 days Holuhraun had produced around 1 cubic kilometer (240,251 cu mi) of lava, making it the fastest flowing lava eruption on Earth in two centuries.
However, the enormous amount of lava is not of concern. Holuhraun is in the middle of nowhere, in Iceland's remote and uninhabitable central highlands. This is an area that has been burnt by volcanoes for centuries. It's the by-product of sulfur dioxide (SO2) that is unsettling scientist and others.
According to the Icelandic Met office the eruption in Holuhraun produces around 30-40 thousand tonnes of sulfur dioxide per day. If it continues at similar a rate for the next year it will have produced around 13 million tonnes.
That’s a lot but dwarfs when compared to the infamous Laki eruption (1783-84), which pumped up around 120 million tonnes of sulfur dioxide in just eight months and brought widespread misery around the globe.
Although not being on that gigantic scale the Holuhraun sulfur dioxide emission is raising concerns in Iceland as there's no telling when the eruption will stop. It could go on for months or maybe years.
High amount of sulfur dioxide is bad both for people and the environment.
Air pollution in populated areas is now closely monitored with the Icelandic Met Office offering gas predictions and warnings if the pollution is intense.
In the long term sulfur dioxide can lead to acid rain, which effects wildlife in marshes, streams, rivers and lakes in Iceland and neighbouring countries.
