On the lookout for mood swings of Icelandic volcano.

The evolution of the cloud of ash Friday, May 7.Tags: Eyjafjöll, volcano, ashes, ICELAND, EUROPE.

After a burst of activity in midweek, the Eyjafjöll was again calm. But the eruption could last another ...

Begun on March 20 last the volcano unpronounceable name, located south of Iceland while the saga. While he was inactive for more than 180 years, the EyjafjöllWhich culminates at 1666 m above sea level, flows into a first remote lava flows. Then, from mid-April, the rash moves under the thick ice above it.
ResultWith the heat of magma melts the ice and water evaporates abruptly, causing even floods. European sky is then closed for six days. Then the volcano weakens until Wednesday evening when suddenly resumed the plume altitude.

"A long distance runner":
The Icelandic Meteorological Institute said that the increase in ash production is due to the entry of new magma into the reservoir of the volcano, creating pressure changes. The intensity becomes comparable with what it was mid-April. Result: the plume rises 8-10 km altitude, raising fears that Friday in early morning, blocking possible transatlantic flights (see box below),. But in the afternoon, we learned that activity had stabilized againWith a plume falling to about 6 km high ...
"After the events of mid-April, the lava had cut a path through the ice cap, which was meant to melt the latter by digging a channel, confirms Edward Kaminski, assistant director of theInstitut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP) and professor at the University Paris-Diderot. Suddenly, the explosion of the volcano was reduced because there were fewer interactions with the ice and flow of magma decreased. "The event was so steady and moderate to the" recharge "the volcano. But there are three days, "magma rose again to 30 km depth to the surface and the machine has restarted," says the specialist in comparing this type of volcano to a "runner" who just found this a second wind. "I am a bit pessimistic when an early end to the eruption," he concludes.
This new twist is not surprising Volcanologist Legern Francis, a former research engineer at CNRS. "Iceland is located on the rift between America and Europe," he recalls. Whether the eruption of Eyjafjöll can go on, he recalls that of Laki in 1783 lasted nine months ....
The developments will obviously also depend on the weather. "Currently, we are in a regime of winds from the north so that transport the ashes to the south," explains Philippe Husson, deputy head of the aviation forecast from Météo France.
Besides a high located west of Iceland also runs a part of ash to the west. "The ashes will reach the south of Iceland and west of the United Kingdom. Not over the land but the sea, "said Francoise Benichou, Deputy Director of the forecast from Météo France.
If the plume is capped at 6 km, there are reasons to be optimistic about the progress of the cloud. By cons, if he were to regain altitude and with the winds today, where the airspace would be more chaotic.

No flights canceled in Europe:
The traffic should be normal this weekend of May 8 The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has announced that the ash cloud was threatening at the moment neither France nor the European airspace. Its evolution over the Atlantic, however, continues to mobilize the attention of authorities and a crisis meeting was scheduled Friday evening at the DGAC.
The cloud should only marginally affect the transatlantic flights. Roads have been redefined: the North transatlantic flights will pass further north to avoid the cloud while transatlantic flights south will follow a more southerly route. At Air France, it is expected some delays due to the extension of roads. So far, no action has been applied to avoid the mess of the April crisis. The resolutions passed this week in Brussels will be effective until September.