Eyjafjallajökull/Fimmvörðuhálsi eruption opens a new fissure

Icelandic broadcaster RUV reports tonight that a new fissure has opened at the Eyjafjallajökull/Fimmvörðuhálsi eruption site. At Fimmvörðuhálsi right now it is (a) getting dark and (b) snowing so it’s hard to get a good webcam picture: this capture from a clear period at around 19:40 GMT is the best I could do. If it is clearer later there should be some spectacular night-time pictures [EDIT: see pictures from 20:08 and 21:46 GMT below).

The yellow arrow on the left marks the location of the new eruptive fissure, from which incandescence (more dancing fire fountains) can just be made out. The red arrow on the right indicates the main fissure.

EDIT: A picture from slightly later, around 20:08 GMT:

EDIT: and another, from 21:46 GMT. Positively Dantesque:

For all our Eyjafjallajökull coverage: Eyjafjöll « The Volcanism Blog.

News
Ný sprunga myndaðist – RUV, 31 March 2010

Information
Global Volcanism Program: Eyjafjöll – summary information for Eyjafjallajökull, which the GVP calls Eyjafjöll (1702-02=)
Eyjafjallajökull eruption March 2010 – summary of events from the University of Iceland’s Nordic Volcanological Center
Photos from Fimmvörðuháls – images and information from the Iceland Meteorological Office