Friday Flotsam: Iceland update, Kilauea slows down, videos of Colima and more!

News!

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nColima in Mexico erupting in 2008.

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• The current activity at Eyjafjallajökull is more-or-less unchanged, with strombolian activity producing a 3-4 km tall ash-and-steam plume and the lava flows at the crater moving northward towards the Gígjökull glacier. You can check out an extensive page on the state of this eruption at the Nordic Volcanological Center – along with a new page with thermal and LIDAR information on the eruption from France.nThe Icelandic Met Office notes that the lava has been producing meltwater from the glacier – which many Eruptions readers have noticed as floods spotted on the webcams. Things have, overall, calmed down, as the Met Office says “explosive activity and ash production represents a fraction of conditions during the height of the eruption.” And, for all of you wondering, no measurable geophysical changes have been noted at Katla. If you want a good laugh, you can read the EU airlines response to a proposal for having the government foot the bill for the ash closure. One great remark from an airline executive said only governments had the resources to deal with the consequences of the Icelandic volcano eruption and “should therefore take responsibility.”

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• In another eruption that appears to be tapering off, the east rift on Kilauea is showing signs that the 27 year-old eruption could be reaching an end. HVO reports that sulfur dioxide emissions from the east rift have been dropping (520 metric tons/day versus 2,600 metric tons/day in 2008), suggesting that new magma is entering the rift at much slower rates. However, the eruptions at the summit of Kilauea continue on.

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• The Colima Online folks have posted a series of videos taken of the Mexican volcanoes, including explosions, lava flows and lahars. The volcano observatory at Colima has also started using unmanned drones to watch the crater area of the volcano.

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• Do you live near Vancouver, Washington? If so, mark May 8th on your calendar. From 10-5 on the 8th is the Public Open House for the USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory – you can even get a free Mt. Saint Helens 30th anniversary poster if you go. ou can find CVO at 1300 SE Cardinal Ct. in Vancouver, WA. And if you haven’t been following the daily updates leading up to the Saint Helens 30th anniversary on the CVO website, you should be!

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• The latest USGS/Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program Weekly Volcano Activity Report has also been posted. You can check out all the news of eruption from this week, including events at Reventador, Tongkoko and Pagan.