ERUPTION SIGHTSEEING FLIGHT – 2015 – ICELAND VOLCANO

Sightseeing flight around the eruption of Holuhraun

Flying around the eruption of Holuhraun
This image and above: ©Axel Sigurðarson

Eruption at Holuhraun lava field,
just North of Vatnajokull Glacier – Aug 31, 2014

Helicopter tour to the Holuhraun eruption site

A close up of the border of the fresh lava field
Image: ©Armann Hoskuldsson

An eruption is ongoing in the highlands of Iceland, just north of Vatnajokull glacier. We offer sightseeing flights over the eruption area, as long as the eruption lasts. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to see an eruption and the hot flowing lava.

The eruption location is at Holuhraun Lava Field, a few kilometers north east of Bardarbunga Volcano. See map below.

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE ERUPTION

The lava flowing from the fissure north of Vatnajokull is classified as Pahoehoe lava – a type of basaltic lava that is very common in eruptions in Iceland. The term comes from Hawaii and means smooth unbroken lava. The lava at Holuhraun is so thin however, that it forms slabs on the surface.

According to dr. Armann Hoskuldsson, volcanologist at Univ. of Iceland´s Institute of Earth Sciences, who has been observing the eruption from the start, the lava is about 1 metre thick when it exits the fissure. “But at the edges of the lava streams, the lava has reached a thickness of 7-8 metres when the edge collapes and stumbles forward.”

The lava is hot – really hot. “About 1200 degrees Celcius at the center of the fissure, but cools down rather rapidly,” says dr. Hoskuldsson. “Then the surface layer solidifies and creates a sort of slabs that move with the stream. The lava is so thin and moves rather fast, so that the slabs keep breaking up – which is why this particular form is termed Slabby Pahoehoe.”

According to a status report from the Institute of Earth Sciences, the current eruption is believed to have produced until now about 20-30 million cubic meters of lava at a rate of 100 cubic metres per second.

Considerable amount of sulphuric gas rises from the lava, making it essential for scientists in the area to have gas detectors and gas masks available.