WHAT IS HAPPENING? AIRLINES ON RED ALERT AFTER VOLCANIC ERUPTION IN ICELAND. After a week of seismic activity rattled the uninhabited area 200 miles (320 kilometers) east of the capital of Reykjavik with thou-sands of earthquakes, Iceland's Bardarbunga volcano began erupting Saturday (Aug. 23rd) under the country's largest glacier. An Iceland volcanologist said it was not clear when, or if, the eruption would melt through the ice — which is between 100 and 400 meters (330 feet and 1,300 feet) thick — and send steam and ash into the air. On Saturday, Icelandic authorities declared a no-fly zone of 100 nautical miles by 140 nautical miles around the eruption, but did not shut the country's airspace. An eruption at the Katla volcano could be disastrous, both for Iceland and other nations. Presentation courtesy of Dr. Walter Hays, Global Alliance for Disaster Reduction
3. WHAT IS HAPPENING
• After a week of seismic activity
rattled the uninhabited area 200
miles (320 kilometers) east of the
capital of Reykjavik with thou-
sands of earthquakes, Iceland's
Bardarbunga volcano began
erupting Saturday (Aug. 23rd) under
the country's largest glacier.
4. WHAT IS HAPPENING
• An Iceland volcanologist said it was not
clear when, or if, the eruption would
melt through the ice — which is
between 100 and 400 meters (330 feet
and 1,300 feet) thick — and send steam
and ash into the air.
5. WHAT IS HAPPENING
• She said it could take up to a day for
the ice to melt — or the eruption might
remain contained beneath Europe's
largest glacier.
6. ACTION
• On Saturday, Icelandic authorities
declared a no-fly zone of 100 nautical
miles by 140 nautical miles around the
eruption, but did not shut the country's
airspace.
7. A 2010 eruption of Iceland's
Eyjafjallajokul volcano
produced an ash cloud that
caused a week of international
aviation chaos, with more than
100,000 flights cancelled.
10. The Eyjafjallajökull (AYA-feeyapla-
yurkul) volcano in Southern Iceland,
part of the volcanic process that
originally formed Iceland, erupted a
few minutes before midnight on
Saturday, March 20th
16. Scientists said the 800-meter
fissure caused by the eruption was
growing and heading towards the
Myrdalsjokall glacier, which sits
atop the powerful Katla volcano
17. It is of utmost importance to watch
events carefully because
"Eyjafjallajökull hardly ever makes a
move without Mount Katla getting in
on the action too.
18. An eruption at the Katla
volcano could be
disastrous, both for Iceland
and other nations.
19. An eruption of the Katla
volcano, located under the
massive Myrdalsjokull
icecap, could cause
disastrous local flooding and
explosive blasts that could
affect Europe as well.
20. Unlike the powerful
volcanoes along the Pacific
Rim where the slow rise of
magma gives early seismic
warnings that an eruption is
imminent, Iceland's
volcanoes tend to erupt under
ice sheets with little warning.