Volcanoes are an unpredictable phenomena and you never know what‘s next.
The eruption on Fimmvörðuháls that began on the 20th of March ended
abruptly on the 12th of April. Early this morning, on the 14th, a second
eruption began underneath the Eyjafjallajökull Glacier about 8
kilometers from the original eruption.
This new eruption is in the main crater of the main volcano underneath the Eyjafjallajökull Glacier. A subglacial eruption lik this one runs the risk of causing major flash floods when the hot magma melts the glacial ice. For this reason all the farms between the town of Hvolsvöllur and the farm of Skógar have been evacuated and the rivers running from the glacier are closely monitored.
Currently the rivers affected by the eruption have grown considerably and roads have been closed. The eruption broke through the ice sheet in the crater this morning and has created a hole in the ice around one kilometer in diameter. The plume of ash has reached 22.000 feet into the sky and the erupting fissure is estimated to span about two kilometers from north to south. The first estimates of the scale of the eruption scale it as around 10 to 20 times more powerfull than the first eruption.
Iceland Rover eruption tours in the area will be affected today and perhaps the next days. But we plan on continuing to get you the best views of the eruption safely possible however events unfold. Stay tuned for more information as it becomes available.