Holuhraun Eruption Tour in Iceland - Bárðarbunga Eruption Sightseeing Flight

10:25 Iceland - LATEST NEWS


There was a nervous atmosphere as we travelled in silence to Mývatn. The Iceland24 team had just been informed that, for security reasons the volcanic eruption site around Holahraun was inaccessible by jeep.



After waiting almost a week to get a permit from the Icelandic authorities it was disappointing to discover we could not get there by car. However we were determined not to miss the opportunity to be in the “eye of the storm”.

The only way to reach the site of the eruption has been to take a small plane and fly over it. From this vantage point one gets to truly appreciate the real size of the fissure eruption that the whole world has been keeping an eye on. After a long day, we can finally give you a first hand account of it .


To experience the lava fountains spewing magma more than 100 metres into the air next to the largest glacier in Europe is a difficult to feeling to describe. It was almost like witnessing Earth “giving birth”. This felt particularly true when we saw the vivid colours of the so called “curtain of fire”.



The smouldering lava field was moving at about 40 metres per hour, engulfing everything in its path. Latest developments indicate that there is an explosive encounter between the lava and the Jökulsá glacial river that flows from the glacial tongue of Dyngjujökull. 


Volcanic activity in the area has remained stable over the past few days, although seismic activity has decreased slightly.


Islandia24 will continue to report from the site. Our commitment is not only to our followers but also to discovering the truth behind the stories, leaving us no choice but to see the eruption for ourselves.


How to get there?

Those of you wishing to travel to the area and take a flight can contact these companies:

- Flight from Reykjavík (from 670€)
- Helicopter from Reykjavík (from 1.180€)
- Flight from lake Mývatn (from 250€) Most popular: Recommended
- Super Jeep Tour from lake Mývatn (from 220€)
- Flight from Akureyri (from 360€)
- Helicopter from Akureyri (780€)

The cost per person is €250 from Mývatn, and the truth is this one is highly recommended (do not overpaid for this!).


Iceland24 Team
September 2014

Up to 130 meter high lava fountains

Robust activity has been seen in the Holuhraun lava eruption this morning, says volcanologist Armann Hoskuldsson who is monitoring the event. "The highest lava fountains rise up to 130 meters from the craters," he says. The new lava field is now estimated to be 11 - 12 square kilometers in size.

"We returned to the fissure early this morning and saw considerable volcanic activity at around 7 AM," says Dr. Hoskuldsson. He and other scientists spent the night at a mountain hut nearby, after an evacuation was ordered yesterday when volcanic tremor was detected in the area, leading to fears that a subglacial eruption was imminent. "The main craters are now very active and the lava fountains from them rise up to 120 - 130 meter height," he says.

The new lava from the fissure now extends to about 11 - 12 square kilometres says dr. Hoskuldsson. "It´s been robust in the last hours and lava has been flowing westward by about 300 meters. The fissure itself has not changed much however; it´s still 1.7 - 1.8 kilometer long," he says.

Despite the volcanic tremor yesterday, no signs of a subglacial eruption have been seen, and no change has been observed in water flowing from beneath the glacier. The tremor is still unexplained, but indications point to an area south of Holuhraun, extending under the Dyngjujokull glacier margin where a small rift valley (graben) has formed. One possible theory, according to scientists, is that groundwater has seeped through deep cracks in the bedrock, down to the magma intrusion beneath, causing explosive activity detected by seismometers.

According to the Icelandic Met Office (IMO), GPS measurements indicate that the volume of magma entering the dike intrusion is still more than the volume of lava being erupted at the Holuhraun fissure. The rate of magma being pumped in seems however to have slowed , says Benedikt Ofeigsson, a geophysicist at the IMO.

Seismic activity is still ongoing at Holuhraun, but the strongest earthquakes have been detected near the rim of the Bardarbunga volcano. Four earthquakes, exceeding magnitude 4 have occurred there since midnight. The strongest one was M4,8 according to the IMO.

How to get there?

Those of you wishing to travel to the area and take a flight can contact these companies:

- Flight from Reykjavík (from 670€)
- Helicopter from Reykjavík (from 1.180€)
- Flight from lake Mývatn (from 250€) Most popular: Recommended
- Super Jeep Tour from lake Mývatn (from 220€)
- Flight from Akureyri (from 360€)
- Helicopter from Akureyri (780€)

Source: www.ruv.is
Iceland24

Holuhraun eruption lasted 3-4 hours

The fissure eruption in Holuhraun lava, north of Vatnajökull glacier, which started at midnight, is already over. The eruption lasted for about three or four hours, according to Páll Einarsson, professor geophysics at the University of Iceland.

"It was a small eruption and a small sample of the magma that is moving underground reached the surface," says Páll, describing the events of the night as an abberation in the larger course of events of the last two weeks.

Páll agrees with fellow professor of geophysics, Magnús Tumi Guðmundsson, who earlier today described the eruption as an "accident". "The magma intrusion strayed unnecessarily close to the surface and some magma came out," Páll says.

The Icelandic Met Office has downgraded the aviation alert over the volcanic eruption area from red to orange. There is not considered to be a risk of volcanic ash reaching the atmosphere.

The Icelandic Transport Authority has also reduced the restricted flight area around the volcanic activity from 10 nautical miles (NM) to 3 NM and 5,000 foot altitude. The warning area restricting instrument flight rules flight remains unchanged.

The eruption fissure is about 5 kilometers from the Vatnajökull glacier. The fissure appears to be about 1 kilometer long. The lava is thin and flowing quickly southeast towards the glacier.

Source: www.ruv.is
Iceland24