More polluting gas might be expected from the Holuhraun lava field
following the end of its eruption three days ago, Iceland's
Meteorological Office (IMO) said on Monday.
The IMO has been
monitoring gas dispersal closely after the eruption in Holuhraun, north
of the Bardarbunga volcano in southeastern Iceland, came to an end on
Friday,
Iceland on Sunday raised its aviation alert over its largest volcano to the highest level of red after a new eruption nearby.
The
alert entails a ban on all flights below 6,000 feet (1.8 kilometers)
within a radius of 10 nautical miles (18.5 kilometer) of Bardarbunga.
"All airports are open. The area has no effect on any airports," the Civil Protection Office said in a statement.
Sunday was the third time in a week that Iceland issued a red alert for aviation due to seismic activity near Bardarbunga.
Two strong earthquakes on Sunday shook Iceland's largest volcano, which
is on orange alert lowered from red one for one day amid fears of an
imminent eruption, the Icelandic Met Office said.
A large
explosion at the Bardarbunga volcano could signal a replay of the global
travel chaos caused by the eruption of another Icelandic peak four
years ago, which created a massive ash cloud across Europe.
The
earthquakes were listed on the Met Office's website with intensities of
5.3 and 5.1 on the Richter scale, which makes them the strongest
recorded in the region since the current seismic cycle began last week.