The Ice-Volcano (symbolic)

The second flight at the 17th of April brought the next curiosity. However to observe the volcano from the hotel Ranga in the morning hours was a really frustrating act with wide open mouth. In the morning twilight I started the attempt to film the flash lighting. Nothing at all! The plume increased and sagged down steady with small puffs, at the end there was nothing to see. Obviously the activity calmed down for 45 minutes totally. I called Jorge by telephone, what to do with our flight? But during this call the Eyja started again with a white steam expulsion. Ok, I thought at least we can see the consequences of the activity the days before. The seeing was perfect clear. During the first approaching flight a calm white steam cloud of apprx. 4 km height was rising up.

But during the first turn the behaviour changed and at first black lances arose between the white steam mixed with ice boulders which flew in a flat ballistics against the crater walls. Smaller ice rocks created bizarre white spirals by leaving the black and white patterned main explosion cloud. In a few seconds the ash discharges piled then up to a 1,5 km tower. In a flight distance of one mile an impressively scenario took place which could not get topped in its giant beauty. 

Elegant the black lances pierced through the ultra white steam very fast, but due to the huge dimension everything appeared in slow-motion. Here I founded the symbolic name Ice-Volcano. This fits most suitable together with the nature shape of Iceland’s mountain landscapes. Then I looked to Marco who was born and resident in Italia, and I said to him. This view remembers me to a big mountain of Straciatella. Marco smiled...

Still fascinated from the second flight the better weather condition should allow a more detailed view into the crater. The reason was, that the activity modus changes at the 19th of April once more. In fact the eruption intensity increased steady since the 17th of April to 5-10% in comparison to the first days. But this was still enough power for the next days to close the international airport at Keflavik at Friday the 23rd of May. This new condition was approved officially by the Icelandic volcanologist in the daily news. But this phase of activity offered a nearly free view into the seemingly tumultuous inner life of the crater of Eyjafjalla. At our third flight we could see the lava bubbling and blasting situated in the north of the crater base, accompanied with big shockwaves expanding through the whole clouds.

Sidewise big lava shreds appeared behind the ash and steam clouds. Glowing lava boulders with a size of an omnibus were catapulted easily 300m behind of the edge. The shock waves did also shocked and thrilled our helicopter, and we could hear clearly the hard bangs through the rotor noise. Sometimes the windows vibrated strongly. But this close distanced over flight gave us a lot of fun. 

The meltwater was running down in channels with an estimated diameter up to 50m through the volcano glacier. During and after this event the tubes crashed down and left big ice holes. Since the 2nd of May it seems that a lava flow is blazing a trail underneath the ice surface. Everyone is waiting now if the lava flow will brake through the glacier tongue in the below valley zone.

And here is the night view from a distance of 10km. However the frosty strong wind made it nearly impossible to make good exposures. But this doesn't matter....

The volcano seen from the western direction (near Hella, the 4/17/2010)