Assessment 21 May 2010 20:45
Observation from inspection flight and other pilot reports show that
the eruption plume is light grey, with a small amount of ash and the
height is 3-3.5 km/10,000-12,000 ft (a.s.l.). Plume is blown towards
northeast and later northwest by light southerly winds.
No reports of ashfall today. Reports from Neðri-Þverá and Hlíðarendakot
in Fljótshlíð of bluish gas along the hillsides in some sort of clouds,
smelling foul (causing headache when dark in colour).
Volcanic tremor levels have decreased since yesterday evening. However,
they rose for two hours this morning, but have since continued to
decrease. Over twenty earthquakes have been recorded since midnight,
the majority at shallow depths.
The eruption has declined a great deal and the flow of magma into the
crater can be roughly estimated as 5 tonnes/s, carried away by a plume
that rises 1.5-2 km above the crater. No lava flowing.
The above is based on a
status report issued collectively by the Icelandic Meteorological Office and the Institute of Earth Sciences at
19:00.
