Iceland’s Restless Volcanoes

Iceland_MapOn April 20, 2010, the Eyjafjallajokull volcano suddenly erupted 75 miles southeast of Reykjavik, Iceland. There were warning signs that this was coming, but we were not paying attention. Lava burst from the crater melting the Eyjafjallajokull glacier sitting atop the volcano, and its chunks were as big as a jeep. Little was mentioned about why this event occurred when it did, or when it will happen again.

Actually, this wasn’t a big eruption, but it caused major problems over Europe and the Northern Atlantic because the ash spread unusually far and stayed for an oddly long time in the atmosphere.

An Inconvenience

The newswires buzzed about how the volcano affected the London premier of the newest Batman movie that had been forced to relocate from London to Los Angeles because of the eruption. People were angry that the volcanic ash grounded jets and delayed their flights. The focus of this eruption was on the cost that Eyjafjallajokull had on the effects of aviation, and the inconvenience to those holding useless airbus tickets. 

Land of Fire and Ice

Iceland was formed by volcanoes, and many of its 30 active volcanoes are hidden under its ice caps. We need to keep an eye on Iceland because when its volcanoes erupt, it will severely impact the globe. When we see an uptick in earthquakes on the North Atlantic Ridge, watch for another impending eruption.

Katla

Increased seismicity has been recorded recently around Katla, one of Iceland’s most active and most dangerous volcanoes. Katla is due for an eruption, which will not come as a big surprise if we are paying attention. The volcanoes under Iceland are restless, and another volcanic eruption will certainly disrupt the European flight zone and the next London movie premier.

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

About Janet

Janet Starr Hull, PhD, CN has expressed a deep love and respect for the Earth since she was a very young child. She earned academic degrees in International Geography and Environmental Science. After 20 years of research, Dr. Hull uncovered evidence supporting her theory that the Earth’s geographic poles shift at the axis, causing dramatic climate change. Today, she is one of the world’s leading environmental experts promoting public environmental awareness. Connect with Dr. Hull on Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus.

Comment With Facebook: