Icelandic Volcano Stops Spewing Ash… For Now At Least

Is the Icelandic ash crisis over? Experts say it is still too early to tell, but no ash was detected from the Eyjafjallajokul volcano on Sunday in a flight over the crater by Icelandic scientists.

“The volcano appears to be dormant, the activity has been going down for the last two days and at the moment there is nothing coming out… no magma,” said Icelandic Meteorological Office forecaster Jonsson Thorsteinn in an interview with CNN.

Measurements from the test flight found that the temperature at the crater was just below 100°C, confirming that the volcano was now spouting steam instead of ash, Thorsteinn said.

Volcanology is not an exact science, however, and experts warn that the volcano could erupt again – they just don’t know when. “There is still something going on inside, some tremors, it is possible it could erupt again, but when is a question nobody can answer,” said Thorsteinn.

Even if it is only temporary, the slowdown in volcanic activity is good news for commercial airlines and millions of passengers planning to fly in the near future.

The volcano first erupted in mid-April, sending a dense cloud of ash into the atmosphere and disrupting the travel plans of millions.