It seems today that the eruption at Eyjafjallajökull-Fimmvörðuháls might be coming to an end. Volcanic tremor had decreased approximately to pre-eruption levels (i.e. next to nothing) and there seems to be a lack of lava effusion, from what I can see. I also believe there was a meeting of scientists this morning, and the general consensus was that the eruption was winding down. Which is kind of sad, if you ask me. If it is indeed over, that was actually quite short…
However, there are glimmers of hope for those of you who, like me, have fallen in love with this plucky little eruption. Fissure eruptions like this often come and go over long periods, with activity stopping and then a new fissure opening up some time later. So that could still happen. Indeed, I heard a theory today about a fault line cutting across the conduit running from the magma chamber (if one exists), a few kilometres down, to the surface.
Perhaps the recent earthquake activity, such as this morning’s quake, which registered as a magnitude 3.2 event, has caused the rocks along the fault line to shift and block the conduit. In this case, magma rising from below could possibly melt through the blockage or form a new conduit elsewhere, possibly creating a new fissure if it then reached the surface. And if that really is it? Well, just be thankful that you got to witness something so darn amazing, even if just for a few weeks! It’s not every day you can get such an amazing view of an active volcano…
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