REYKJAVIK  - Glowing red-hot lava flowed from Iceland's snow-covered Hekla volcano Sunday into a deserted plain, posing little danger but creating a magnificent spectacle for onlookers.

The plume of smoke and ash from the volcano, located 70 miles from the capital city of Reykjavik, decreased overnight from a height of six miles to about four miles, according to the civil emergency services.

However, the stream of lava from several craters hundreds of meters wide was still flowing for more than 1.2 miles into the deserted plain.

The 4,900-foot volcano, far from any houses in the southwest part of the island, has, at times, spewed ash all over Europe, but seismologists claimed that the latest incident more closely resembled a 1991 eruption that lasted seven weeks.

Due to the volcano's isolated location, no property was threatened by the eruption and the nearest road was only covered with two inches of ash.

Authorities warned drivers lured to the scene by the magnificent spectacle of red-hot lava and white snow to beware of clouds of ash clogging up their engines or of losing their bearings in the unusual conditions.

Civil aviation authorities also warned aircraft not to fly over the zone, though the warning was immediately ignored by a flying club, which announced that it was charging 8,000 Icelandic kronor (the equivalent of $110) for a tour of the volcano.

Mitch Battros
Producer - Earth Changes TV
http://www.earthchangesTV.com