Eruption Stops Air Traffic

Eyjafjallajokull, an ice-covered volcano in Iceland, began erupting on April 14 after being nearly dormant since 1821. The eruption forced about 700 people to immediately leave their homes, some with as little as 20 minutes to evacuate.

The volcanic eruption intensified. One reporter flying over the area in a helicopter reported that the chunks of lava coming from the volcano were as big as a jeep! The volcano also produced massive amounts of ash and dust, quickly building to 750 tons of ash per second—a rate that could fill Yankee Stadium every few seconds. A thick column of ash reached as high as 6.8 miles. Within one day, the ash had reached Scotland—with people complaining about the rotten egg smell. The ash spread quickly and made its way across Europe. Airports throughout Europe shut down because of the unsafe flying conditions. Airlines cancelled more than 100,000 flights, leaving passengers stranded worldwide and costing the industry more than $2 billion. While most flights were able to resume within a few days, Iceland shut down two of its airports more than a week after the eruption began because strong winds that had been carrying the ash away from the country had died down.

This is not Iceland’s first encounter with major volcanic eruptions. Iceland was hit hard by another volcano, Askja, in 1875. The volcano devastated the country’s economy, and over the next 25 years, approximately 20 percent of the island’s population emigrated to other countries.

Iceland is located in the North Atlantic Ocean, northwest of the United Kingdom. The country is slightly smaller than the state of Kentucky!

Iceland also has the world’s oldest functioning legislative assembly, the Althing, which was established in 930. Iceland was formerly ruled by Norway and Denmark before gaining its independence.