Eruption Update: Sulfur Dioxide Threatens Iceland, Lava Flows Continue at Kilauea and More

Busy week, time to catch up a bit: Iceland Right now, the news out of Iceland is much the same as its been for the last week: lava flows issuing from some of the Holuhraun Lava Field fissures, possible melting under the ice cap especially in the Barðarbunga caldera and earthquakes continuing to rumble. I personally can't get enough of the aerial views of the eruption, so be sure to check out the footage shot by Simon Redfern (Cambridge University) that captures some amazing lava fountains and flows from the eruption (see above). The lava flows have reached the Jökulsá á Fjöllum River, but little explosive interactions have been seen. This is likely because there is just too much lava for the volume of water in the river, so intense of explosions, you just get quenching of the lava (and a lot of steam). The NASA Earth Observatory released a stunning Landsat 8 image of the lava flow field and fissure (see below), showing the long tongue of lava that reaches down to the riverbed. The channelized flows near the fissures are evident in the image, but as it travels further and onto flatter ground, the lava fans out into the platy pahoehoe (and even a'a) at the toe of the flow.