Volcanic activity could go on for years

„There's gonna be activity here for a few years. Not this particular eruption, it'll end and another one will start up elsewhere, and this will clearly erupt in a glacier," said volcanologist Ármann Höskuldsson last night.

„This may be pretty to look at, but if the lava flows the last 3 kilometers towards the glacier then we won't have much time."

Ármann adds that the eruption has slowed slightly over the past 24 hours. One of the craters has stopped spewing magma, most likely due to a blockage in the magma chamber below.

Scientists estimate that the longest lava stream from the fissure has reached 7 kilometers in length and is heading north by north-east, towards the source of Jökulsá.

The fissure is on a wide plateau between Vatnajökull and Askja. From here we can see the Kverkfjöll mountainrange, and also Dyngjujökull, the closest part of Vatnajökull.

The lava is flowing into an area known as Flæður, a series of streams flowing north from Dyngjujökull that later combine into the river Jökulsá. Already the lava is blocking the waterflow.

Extreme caution must be taken in this area, as explosions tend to happen when the water tries to flow under the 1000°C hot lava.