An Icelandic volcano that has grounded planes across Europe is spitting lava but less ash, officials said on Monday (April 19), offering travellers hope that skies might clear at a faster rate. Iceland's erupting volcano sent powerful new tremors on Monday, but scientists said the ash plume rising above its crater was now reaching a height of about 2 km (1.2 miles). Last week, the tower of ash was as high as 11 km. An official at the Meteorological Office said ash production had fallen sharply and the nature of the eruption appeared to be changing. There was still a risk, he said, that molten rock could create new pathways for water to run into the crater, causing more explosions and a higher level of ash production. Scientists flying above the volcano told the Met Office lava had burst from the crater and onto the Eyjafjallajokull glacier that sits atop the volcano. The glacier, about 120 km (75 miles) southeast of Reykjavik, is normally a popular hiking ground. A reporter flying overhead in a helicopter told state radio the volcano was spitting chunks of lava as big as a jeep. The appearance of lava could suggest the eruption is moving into a less explosive phase. Fewer explosions would mean less of the menacing ash that has drifted to the European continent, choking the upper atmosphere with tiny particles of glass and pulverised rock and leading authorities to shut their airspace over safety fears. Police said there was almost no visibility near the glacier as ash saturated the air and covered agricultural fields with a layer of dust, which could be dangerous to animals if eaten. Farmer Katrin Birna Vidarsdottir who lives near the glacier said the cows were unaffected: “The cows are fine, they are calm in the cowsheds and just chewing their cud,” she said. Vidarsdottir's sheep that are normally white were now grey from the ash. She said the farm had an unusual guest during the ash fall: “We had one large guest in here who has fled in here from the ash, a raven. Good food for him in here, newly born lambs and ewes. We barely got him out. He acted quite strangely,” she said. On Sunday, rescue workers were helping farmers to gather horses that were outside when the ash started to fall. Veterinarian Ellert Thor Benediktsson said he had been pleasantly surprised to see the horses in such a good shape. “We went here yesterday into the cloud of ash and didn't like what we saw obviously. We didn't expect to see the horses as healthy as they were today,” he said. Any pick-up in ash production could spell trouble for more populated areas of the country later in the week. Weather forecasts show a shift in winds could cause ash to fall over Reykjavik for the first time since the volcano started to blow through the glacier. The Civil Protection Department prepared plans for such an occurrence, which could include the closure of schools. Someone who has just been through it, farmer Simon Sigurgeiersson, was philosophical about the ordeal: “You just say that what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger,” he said. Iceland sits on a volcanic hotspot in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and has relatively frequent eruptions, though most happen in sparsely populated areas and pose little danger to people or property. added by: ctv
