Assessment - 18 May 2010 18:05
Ash at Seljavellir
Ash from Eyjafjallajökull
Photo: Ari Tryggvason.
According to radar observations, the eruption plume has been mostly at
7 km (21,000 ft) hight. Over the volcano, south and southwesterly winds
blow. Near the surface, the wind was easterly, blowing ash from the
ground towards west and northwest. The plume is gray and drifting
northeast.
Ash has fallen in the Gnúpverjahreppur area, Hrauneyjar and in the
northeast and east part of Iceland (from Laugar in S-Þingeyjarsýsla to
Seyðisfjörður). Higher aerosol concentrations have been recorded in
Reykjavík around midday, due to ash drifting over the area. More than
70 lightning strikes from midnight to midday have been detected.
A powerful explosive eruption is ongoing and the height of the plume
suggests that the eruption rate is over 200 tonnes per second. Details
in
status report issued collectively by the Icelandic Meteorological Office and the Institute of Earth Sciences at 17:00.
