Icelandic Volcano Eruption



Eyjafjallajokull ash plume - May 6, 2010
(Image from NASA's Terra satellite)
The satellite image displays the brown Eyjafjallajokull volcano ash plume as it travels east and then southward underneath high-altitude clouds. According to experts at the University of Iceland, explosive activity has increased.

The eruption column is higher and the volcano is throwing out more tephra, meaning ash, rocks and larger chunks of material. "There are no signs that the eruption is about to end," the report, posted at 6:00 p.m. Iceland time, says.

Commercial pilots estimated the volcano's ash plume to be at 30,000 feet between 5:30 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. Thursday morning. When an Iceland Coast Guard helicopter went up at 1:00 pm. it was under 20,000 feet. An Icelandair Cargo flight which left Iceland at 6:00 p.m. climbing towards east from Keflavík estimated the height at 21,000 to 22,000 feet.

Meanwhile, one man has the optimism of making lemonade as life gives him lemons. Entrepreneur Sofus Gustavsson is selling Eyjafjallajokull volcano ash on the Internet as a souvenir.



Sofus Gustavsson
For £75 (about $110), a buyer receives approximately five ounces of ash in a sealed glass container.

"I got the idea from a friend who lives abroad who asked me to send him some ash in an envelope," he said.

"I thought there must be thousands of people out there who want to remember what happened."

Meanwhile, bets have been pouring into Paddy Power, Ireland's largest bookmaker, as gamblers try to cash in on the next volcano blowing its top.

Previous eruptions of Eyjafjallajokull have been followed by eruptions of Katla, the Big Kahuna of Iceland's volcanoes, and speculators are wagering significant sums that it will recur. In fact, the betting has been brisk enough for Paddy Power to lower the odds of eruption from 8-to-1 down to 11-to-8.

If Katla does blow, it will likely be disastrous for millions of travelers. Some gamblers, however, will walk away with a wad of cash. Lemonade from lemons, eh?