Assessment - 26 April 2010 19:15
No visual observations at eruption site; no magma flow is visible.
Radar images show continuous build-up of a tephra crater/cone in the
northern ice cauldron; the diameter of the crater is 200 m and the
height of the crater cone is 130-170 m. GPS observations are consistent
with deflation of a magma reservoir beneath Eyjafjallajökull.
No measurable geophysical changes within the Katla volcano. Earthquake
activity on the north-western edge of Vatnajökull is unconnected with
the ongoing eruption.
Magma flow-rate and plume height has remained at similar levels during
the last few days. Lava continues to flow northward. No signs of
melting or meltwater discharge towards the south. There is no
indication that the eruption is about to end; however, it is an order
of magnitude smaller than in the first explosive phase.
The above is based on a
status report issued collectively by IMO and the Institute of Earth Sciences at 18:00 this evening.
