Global General

Iceland volcano going quiet, but could stir again

(Agencies)
Updated: 2010-05-24 10:39

An ash plume rises from a volcano under the Eyjafjallajokull glacier May 17, 2010. [Agencies]

LONDON -- There is very little activity at the Eyjafjallajokul volcano, Icelandic officials and scientists said Sunday, but it is too early to say whether the eruption that has disrupted global air travel is over.

Iceland's Meteorological Office said "the eruption activity is minimal." Civil Protection Agency official Iris Marelsdottir said some steam was coming out of the volcano, but no ash.

"Now we can only wait and see," she said. "It's too early to say this is over, but at the moment it is quiet."

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A report by Met Office and University of Iceland scientists classed the eruption as "dormant" Sunday. They said the level of seismic activity was decreasing and was near that recorded before the eruption began last month.

Eyjafjallajokul (pronounced ay-yah-FYAH-lah-yer-kuhl) erupted April 14 for the first time in nearly two centuries.

Danger to planes from the volcanic ash plume led most northern European countries to shut their airspace April 15-20, grounding an estimated 10 million travelers worldwide.

Smaller-scale disruptions have continued since then, as the volcano produced more ash.

The last time the volcano awoke, in 1821, it erupted on and off for almost two years.

Volcanic ash covers the fields and peaks around Eyjafjoll May 16, 2010. [Agencies]