The volcanic eruption at Eyjafjallajökull continues, but, for now at least, is a "tourist eruption", as nice as they get, with a huge flood of tourists to the mountain on clear days and a boom industry in getting sightseers out to the mountain.
From rainbowgirl on flickr via fiveprime - click through to source and full size photos
The original fissure that erupted has closed after building up a nice cinder cone, but the second fissure mostly consolidated into a single crater which continues strong.
The mountain is still rumbling and swelling, suggesting magma continues to flow under the crust, and there are occasional burps from next door neighbour Katla - which is big bad volcano in the complex, and one which promptly erupted after the last couple of eruptions in Eyjafjallajökull.
Sadly, two people have died going to the volcano - not with the volcanism as the proximate cause, their SUV got stuck in bad weather and they were ill prepared for the conditions, two of three people left the vehicle and died of exposure.
There are some phenomenal photos of the action:
Chris Lund got some photos picked for National Geographics News which has some other good photos of the action.
M6.is has more excellent photos
Steini fjall has more photos - check his time-lapse series of the lava
Several webcams have been setup this one is one of my favourites - view is best at dawn and dusk, local time.
Norðurflug will take you on a helicopter ride to the volcano, going a bit too close for comfort sometimes.
Cooking your pulsur (what the hot dog aspires to be) over lava is an old tradition, which I first remember from the Heimaey eruption - in the New Iceland, things are done more extravagantly Hótel Holt does luxury barbecues on the mountain, cooking on the red hot lava, weather permitting.
The Bad Boys of the BBC's Top Gear took volcanologist Haraldur Sigurðsson for a ride, and tried to drive a jeep from Arctic Trucks onto the lava.
Much to their surprise it caught fire.
The environmental ministry has requested local sheriff investigate (in Icelandic): not for recklessness or stupidity, but because off-road driving is prohibited in the area now that the ground in no longer frozen ;-)
Seriously.
Scibling Eruptions does regular updates, with interesting speculation and news in the comments.
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Apparently Sigurdsson thought they were a bunch of nancy boys.
"They never take risk!"
http://mbl.is/mm/frettir/innlent/2010/04/08/top_gear_ok_upp_a_heitt_hra…
Never believe Google translate!
You mean someone didn't call Clarkson a nancy boy? I am so dissappointed.
"The environmental ministry has requested local sheriff investigate (in Icelandic): not for recklessness or stupidity, but because off-road driving is prohibited in the area now that the ground in no longer frozen ;-)
Seriously."
Actually, that makes sense to me -- wet turf that hasn't quite awakened from its winter nap under snow is quite fragile.
Oh yes, off-road driving in the highlands when the ground is thawed leaves scars for decades. Its just that I think the ground up there is still frozen, except where is it molten - which is of course where they drove - across molten rock.