The dramatic volcanic eruption that belched out the ash plume responsible for grounding much of Europe entered a new phase today — producing less smoke but bubbling with lava and throwing up chunks of molten rock.
Less ash is potentially good news for stranded travelers, but scientists who are monitoring the mountain’s explosion warn the eruption is not finished, and may still set off other eruptions at nearby volcanoes.
The first sighting of glowing magma in the Eyjafjallajokull volcano was made today, though the lava is not flowing down the mountain, Icelandic geologists said.
“It is sputtering and bubbling and will probably create a cone formation” as the lava spills over and freezes into rock, said Kristin Vogfjord, geologist at Iceland’s Met Office in Reykjavik.
The volcanic eruption has been particularly explosive because it has surged under a 200 metre-thick glacier.