24 May 2010

Iceland volcano now less active

9:33 pm on 24 May 2010

There has been a marked drop in activity in an Icelandic volcano which emitted ash clouds which have disrupted European air traffic for more than a month.

Magnus Gudmundsson, of Iceland University, says heat camera images shows the temperature in the crater has fallen to 100 degrees celsius.

Mr Gudmundsson says this means that only steam is now coming from the Eyjafjoell volcano and no magma is being produced. However, he warns it is still too early to say the eruption is completely over.

The Eyjafjoell volcano began erupting on 14 April. More than 100,000 flights and eight million passengers were affected.

A previous eruption at the volcano lasted 13 months, from 1821-23.