ICELAND'S VOLCANO LATEST ERUPTION - PHOTOS AND LINK TO LIVE WEBCAM

Iceland's Bárðarbunga volcano began erupting once again early Sunday morning — with lava flowing out of a mile-long fissure in the Holuhraun lava field.

 

The lava fountains themselves have been spectacular, reportedly reaching up to 200 feet in the air. Here are a few photos taken by Ármann Höskuldsson, a geologist with the University of Iceland who is on the scene:

So far, the eruption itself doesn't seem to be causing much harm. One reason for that? The eruption is occurring in a remote area just north of Iceland's massive Vatnajökull glacier (which lays atop much of the Bárðarbunga volcanic system).

 

That's a key detail: If a really big volcanic eruption occurs underneath a glacier, the combination of magma and ice can potentially produce a violent steam explosion that can send large clouds of ash up into the atmosphere and disrupt flights around the region.

 

Alternatively, a large eruption under a glacier can potentially melt the ice and lead to heavy flooding — particularly in the river that extends north toward more populated areas.

 Right: red indicates area of eruption.

 Here's a longer primer on why Iceland has so many active volcanoes — and how volcanic ash can disrupt flights.

Note that Iceland isn't the only country with a volcano outburst.

The Rabaul volcano in Papua New Guinea has been erupting lately, leading to evacuations and flight diversions.

You can see photos and a rundown here, although note that activity is starting to subside.
Volcano fans can also watch the Iceland eruption on a live webcam. Gisli Olafsson is posting frequent updates.

Source - http://www.vox.com/2014/8/31/6089399/iceland-bardarbunga-volcano-lava-eruption-pictures

LIVE WEB CAM - http://www.livefromiceland.is/webcams/bardarbunga-2/

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