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Awesome power of Iceland volcano
A spectacular volcanic eruption under an Iceland glacier has forced airlines to divert flights to avoid flying through gas emissions from the blast. The volcano first erupted on Monday, sending thick black smoke and ash heading towards continental Europe. Since then, GrÃmsvötn volcano has produced a steady stream of ash and lava, with explosions sending ash up to 12,000m (40,000 feet) in the air. It is thought to have been caused by drainage of a lake under the glacier. But ash from the eruption under Vatnajökull glacier - Iceland's biggest - has landed in Norway, Sweden and Finland. The eruption was also violent enough to set off earth tremors. The ashfall in Iceland has caused some problems for wildlife in the area. For instance, farmers have brought their sheep inside to prevent them from grazing on land covered with shards of abrasive "glass-like" material deposited by the eruption. Oli Thor Arnarsson of the Icelandic Meteorological Office said a change in the wind could send the cloud toward central Europe. "We are speculating that the eruption should be clear tomorrow. But if there are more eruptions, we may have ash over central Europe," he said. GrÃmsvötn last erupted six years ago and before that in 1995 and 1993, causing flooding. The volcano lies on the Atlantic Rift, the meeting of the Euro and American continental plates. The three major volcanoes of Iceland - Hekla, Katla and GrÃmsvötn - lie on the same fault line.
Posted by: Mark Espinola 2004-11-05 |
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