The magma in the crater is still brewing
The eruption at Litli-Hrútur seen from the west. mbl.is/Eyþór Árnason
There have been little changes in in the eruption at Litli-Hrútur in recent days. Gas pollution has only been detected at Fagradalsfjall in the vicinity of the eruption site.
“It’s really changed a little since this weekend,” says Lovísa Mjöll Guðmundsdóttir, a natural hazard expert. “It’s grinding on in the crater and the turmoil is in place.”
She says it is difficult to tell when the eruption will end.
“The last measurement by the University of Iceland was on July 24, which confirmed a slow decrease in lava flow. If it decreases as it has been doing, this could mean the end of the eruption soon, but of course we don’t know what will happen. It may well be that this will remain stable for some time or increase, but you don’t know exactly. It’s hard to predict.”
According to Guðmundsdóttir, the length of the eruption depends on the magma feeding the eruption channel. “Depends on whether the magma will continue to move upwards. The magma will be at some depth and if it stops feeding the eruption channel, the eruption will stop,” she says.
Not much gas pollution
When the intensity of the eruption decreases, it is expected that gas pollution will decrease as well, but there has been little gas pollution in the last few days.
“The only pollution in recent days has been measured at Fagradalsfjall,” meteorologist Haraldur Ólafsson says.
“The wind is so slow that the gas is not going far from the eruption site. So if any pollution is detected, it’s mostly at the eruption sites.”
Tornado at the eruption site yesterday
A small tornado formed at the eruption site at Litli-Hrútur just after three o’clock yesterday. The tornado occurred next to the volcanic crater, but a webcam from mbl.is caught the incident.
The occurrence where a tornado dances with the crater of the volcanic eruption can be spotted in the player below.
