Eyjafjallajökull volcano has woken up in Iceland after a 200-year "hibernation". The eruption began on March 21, 2010 and was so powerful that a state of emergency was declared in the country and hundreds of residents of nearby settlements were evacuated.
Russia 1

On April 14, a new eruption began, accompanied by the release of a huge amount of ash into the atmosphere. The next day, a dozen European countries were forced to completely or partially close their airspace - in particular, flights were canceled at the airports of London, Copenhagen and Oslo.

Eyyafjallajokull(Eyjafjallajokull) means "Island of mountain glaciers". The volcano is located 200 kilometers east of Reykjavik between the Eyjafjallajokull and Mirdalsjokull glaciers. These are the largest ice caps in the south of the northern island country, covering active volcanoes.

The Eyjafjallajökull volcano is a conical glacier, the sixth largest in Iceland. The height of the volcano is 1666 meters. The diameter of the crater is 3-4 kilometers, the glacial cover is about 100 square kilometers.

Iceland lies on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, where volcanic eruptions occur quite frequently. Almost all types of volcanoes found on Earth are represented in this country. Ice caps and other glaciers cover an area of 11,900 square kilometers.

Since many volcanoes in Iceland are covered with glaciers, they often melt them from below. The tongues of the glaciers break away from their places, releasing millions of tons of water and ice, which demolish everything in its path.

It is from these fears that such serious security measures were taken in Iceland after the awakening of Eyjafjallajökull in 2010. In particular, after its March eruption, traffic on nearby roads was stopped and residents were evacuated. Local authorities feared that the volcanic lava would melt the glacier and cause severe flooding.

However, after the research, experts came to the conclusion that the eruption does not pose a threat to local residents. A few days later, the authorities allowed people to return to their homes.

Volcanologists were able to approach the crater at a distance of several meters and film the eruption on camera, they saw that the crack from which the lava comes out has a length of about 500 meters. In addition, the shooting was carried out from the air. The set was published on the popular YouTube video portal.

Here is one of these shootings - a spectacle that is bewitchingly beautiful and frightening at the same time.

Icelandic scientists have been watching the volcano for a long time, looking for signs of seismic activity. In their opinion, the eruption may last another year or even two. The last eruption of Eyjafjallajökull was recorded in 1821. Then it lasted until 1823 and caused a threatening melting of the glacier. In addition, due to the high content of fluorine compounds (fluorides) in its emissions, a threat to health, namely the bone structure of people and livestock, has been created.

Eyjafjallajökull is a volcano in Iceland, located under the glacier of the same name, the name of which is able to pronounce only 0.005 percent of the world's population. In 2010, the small northern country of Iceland decided to remind Europeans of its existence. And she did it in such a way that the message could not be ignored.

Excessive activity of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano and a powerful release of ash into the atmosphere led to the cancellation of several tens of thousands of flights. This eruption can rightfully be considered one of the most remarkable events of the past year.

For two hundred years now, Eyjafjallajökull has been considered sound asleep. Its previous eruption was recorded between 1821 and 1823. - in two years, the volcano caused enormous damage to the surrounding area. However, Icelanders are accustomed to such disasters. There are several active volcanoes on the island, which periodically remind of their existence. So the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull did not panic the local population, on the contrary, provoked a real tourist boom. People from all over the world came to admire the impressive spectacle.

In fact, the volcano that attracted so much attention from tourists to Iceland did not even have its own name. Previously, the Eyjafjallajökull glacier was known, located 125 km from Reykjavik and hiding a conical volcano underneath. For simplicity, it began to be called by the same name. Eyyafyadlayokyudl in translation into Russian means literally "glacier of the island mountains." The height of the peak is 1666 meters, and the diameter of the crater, which has been hiding under the ice for many years, is 4 km.

Naturally, scientists were monitoring Eyjafjallajökull, but could not predict the full scale of the upcoming eruption. Much more attention of scientists has always attracted a volcano located 12 km to the east - Katla. In the 20th century, he was noted for his special activity. Consequently, it was popular with tourists visiting the island.

All types of travel are available to lovers of the exotic in Iceland: auto, walking, as well as helicopter tours by air. Only from above can one fully appreciate the power of volcanoes. In addition to evidence of the fiery breath of the Earth, Iceland is famous for its rivers, waterfalls and geysers. Acquaintance with them is included in the mandatory tourist program. At the foot of the Eyjafjallajökull glacier is the village of Skogar and the most visited waterfall in the country, Skogafoss on the Skougau River. Famous tourist routes pass by it, leading to the Fimmvurduhauls pass between the Eyjafjallajokull and Myrdalsjokull glaciers.

Photo of Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland.

RUBRIC: MATRIX
Iceland lies on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Almost every type of volcano found on Earth is represented in Iceland. Actually, the country is one big "Vulkanland". Icelandic volcanoes, filled with magma, can eject much more volume than their mainland cone-shaped brothers. Ice caps and other glaciers cover an area of 11,900 square kilometers.
Eyjafjallajokull Volcano (Eyjafjallajokull), in translation - "Island of mountain glaciers", is located 200 kilometers east of Reykjavik. The volcano is crowned by a conical glacier, the fifth largest in Iceland. Its height is 1666 meters. The diameter of the crater is 3-4 kilometers, the glacial cover is about 100 square kilometers.
The last eruption in the area occurred in 1821-1823, and before that - in 1612.
ERUPTION - WRATH OF THE EARTH!
The Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajokull woke up after a 200-year hibernation on March 21 this year. A violent eruption of a huge cloud of volcanic ash, which rose to a height of 6 km, thanks to sunny weather, began on the night of April 14.
On Saturday, the 15th, a column of ash became visible over the volcano - a thick dark gray cloud 8.5 kilometers high. The wind improved visibility in the area of the ongoing eruption, and experts were able to assess the situation from the air for the first time in the past few days.
The red-hot magma changed course and began to flow underground right in the area of the glacier, volcanologist Sigurun Hansdottir, who, along with her colleagues from the University of Iceland, has been monitoring the activity of the volcano over the past three months, told reporters. The mixture of magma and ice is explosive, so there are incessant explosions at the bottom of the crater. The ashfall layer is up to 3 cm. Volcanic ash is solid particles ranging in size from 1 to 1000 microns. The volcano releases poisonous gases, the evaporation of which people may not even notice. Now the volcano emits sulfur, fluorine, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. The last of these is odorless and is a deadly gas.
Thousand hectares of land to the east of the crater are covered with a thick layer of ash.
So far, it is impossible to study what is happening with Eyyafyatlayokudl in the immediate vicinity. Scientific equipment cannot be delivered to the site, as the ash cloud prevents them from approaching the crater. It is not known exactly how much of the emitted substances enter the atmosphere. During the day, according to experts, about four million tons of volcanic substances are released.
Nevertheless, brave volcanologists were able to approach the crater at a distance of several meters and film the eruption on camera. They saw that the crack from which the lava comes out has a length of about 500 meters.
On the 15th, Magnus Tumi Gudmundson, professor of geophysics at the University of Iceland, noted that the volcano had stepped up its activity.
Scientists will try to fly around the crater to find out how much ice has melted on it. It depends on how long the volcano will spew ash. This data is provided by the Republican Center for Radiation Control and Environmental Monitoring from the London Consultative and Computing Centre. Information is updated every six hours.
Stormy correspondence ensued on the Internet - the Earth is angry with people and sends them a warning - come to your senses, live peacefully, destroy weapons, stop destroying nature, get rid of the unforgivable sins of murder, greed and pride!
PLANES - THREATS
Once in the combustion chamber of the engine, they melt, solidify again in cold parts, which can disrupt the operation of the turbine.
Ash, which is a mixture of glass particles, sand and rocks, is extremely dangerous for aircraft engines, especially jet ones.
Volcanic ash consists of glass particles less than 2 millimeters in size, explains aviation engineer Igor Vasenkov. - The particles are very hard. They act on parts like an abrasive. First, the compressor elements are damaged. They melt in the combustion chambers, clogging them. And stick further on the turbine blades. The engines may eventually stop. Peroclastic, so-called glassy substances, which are present in the ashes, are dangerous for working mechanisms.
In addition, a large amount of ash is deposited on the wings and fuselage of the aircraft. The third big danger is that the Icelandic volcano is basaltic, and during its eruption a significant amount of sulfur and chlorine is released. Sulfur, as a low-melting element, when in contact with hot parts of the aircraft, mixed with ash, forms a mass that can even disrupt the movement of turbine blades.
The trajectory of the movement of the volcanic eruptive cloud coincides with the trajectory of the air corridors of aircraft movement. Therefore, airports were obliged to stop flights, since the situation could lead to malfunctions in the operation of aircraft, to crashes of airliners.
If the wind direction were north, then in general, by and large, no one except specialists would have noticed this eruption.
"This fine dust is a very nasty thing," Stuart John, professor at the Royal Academy of Engineering and former chairman of the Royal Society of Aeronautics, told the BBC. "It clogs the vents through which air is supplied for cooling, and the engines stall."
PLANES - COLLAPSE
There was a transcontinental transport collapse.
On April 15, due to emissions, a number of countries in northern Europe were forced to close their airports. And not by chance. Finnish Air Force F-18 Hornet fighters were put out of action after flying through a cloud of volcanic ash and dust just before Europe closed airspace.
The aviation crisis, in the first days, according to the European Commission, affected over 10 million passengers; in the future, this number can grow exponentially.
Later, the airports of Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, the Baltic countries and China were closed.
PERSPECTIVES
"The eruption may stop tomorrow, but it may continue and disrupt the normal operation of air transport for several more weeks or even months, or even years," said Magnus Tumi Gudmundson, professor of geophysics at the University of Iceland.
A volcano can paralyze half of the Earth.
The Russian World Wildlife Fund (WWF) warns that the spread of the ash cloud can lead to a cooling on the earth for two to three years, after which there will be a sharp warming in temperature.
In addition, airborne ash particles interfere with the passage of sunlight to the surface of the earth, which can greatly affect future crops by slowing down plant growth. But volcanic ash is an excellent fertilizer for the soil.
70 thousand years ago in Indonesia, the eruption of the super-volcano Toba almost killed the then wild humanity. The ash thrown into the air enveloped the entire planet and launched the process of global cooling. According to scientists, no more than 15 thousand ancestors of modern man survived, who laid the foundation for our entire civilization.
The Tambora eruptions in Indonesia in 1815 led to a decrease in the average global temperature by 3 degrees Celsius. The following year, there was no summer in either Europe or North America, notes Aleksey Kokorin, head of the climate program of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Russia.
A cloud of ash from the volcano Krakatau, which exploded in 1883, circled the Earth twice. And for several years, the average temperature on the entire planet dropped by several degrees.
The mechanism of "volcanic winter" is this: when the concentration of ash particles in the atmosphere is high, they become a screen - they reflect the sun's rays and prevent them from heating the air.
In this case, another negative factor that can affect not only Iceland is the appearance of the so-called ash fall, as a result of which vast areas can be covered with a layer of ash. Forecasters predict that the ash can spread not only to the European part of Russia, including Moscow and St. Petersburg, but also further.
Icelandic geophysicist Einar Kjartansson says: “It is possible that ash emissions will continue at a similar intensity for several days, or even several weeks. However, the question of whether this will interfere with transportation will depend on the weather, on which direction the wind blows ash"…
Aleksey Kokorin is sure that the volcanic eruption in Iceland will slow down the rise in temperature in the world, moreover, for several years at once, but then a sharp warming will begin. After all, it will not reduce the anthropogenic increase in the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere.
WILL HECL VOLCANO RUN?
Icelandic volcanologists have proposed an even more frightening scenario: the activity of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano can wake up a larger volcano located in the neighborhood. If Eyyafyatlayokudl erupts for at least another month, it is very likely that its magma will fall into the craters of its "big neighbor" Katla (Katla), which is located somewhat to the east. “Katla volcano has been unusually quiet in recent decades. Therefore, we will not be surprised if an eruption much more powerful than we are seeing now occurs in the near future. This will lead to real chaos,” said volcanologist Hansdottir.
SAVE YOUR HEALTH!
The UK Department of Health advises citizens not to leave their homes - particles of volcanic mud have already begun to fall on the country.
WHO officials said they do not know for sure whether the ash threatens people's health. However, WHO spokesman David Epstein suggested that microscopic particles of volcanic ash are potentially dangerous, as they can cause problems in people with lung diseases.
Deputy Director for Scientific Affairs of the Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences Arkady Tishkov believes that there is nothing terrible in the eruption for Russia. Yes, the emissions of the volcano entered the atmosphere, and they will affect the climate, and if they fall on the ground in the form of precipitation, they will slightly oxidize the rains and cause problems for people with diseases of the respiratory system and digestion. Tishkov says: "Locally, acid rain can fall, but in the capital there are rains with higher acidity." According to Tishkov, if Moscow falls into the zone of volcanic emissions, then it is necessary to use masks and carry out wet cleaning.
Scientists also fear that a cloud of volcanic ash, which has already covered Europe and paralyzed air traffic in a significant part of it, may pose a danger to wildlife. As experts from the Institute of Geosciences at the University of Iceland explained, the cloud contains large concentrations of fluorite, a mineral that is used, in particular, in metallurgy and the chemical industry, as well as in ceramic production. For animals, this substance can be extremely dangerous.

VOLCANOPSYCHOSIS
“It’s just that the cloud went to the densely populated territories of Europe, which is why there is so much attention to this active volcano. We had more powerful volcanic eruptions in Kamchatka, but there was no such discussion, there was no excitement - cloud emissions occurred in sparsely populated areas or in the oceans,” Tishkov said.
According to Tishkov, what is happening now in Europe cannot be called a panic in the full sense of the word, but one can already speak of a "certain psychosis".
According to Tishkov, although the volcano, in addition to ash, also emits toxic gases - chlorine-containing, sulfurous, ammonia gases, however, they can only affect the immediate surroundings.
"There shouldn't be any apocalyptic moods, this is an absolutely ordinary event," Tishkov said. "This is not the most powerful volcano, and the emissions were in relatively low layers of the atmosphere."
NUDE WOMEN PROVOKING VOLCANO ERUPTIONS?
One of the leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Kazem Sediki, said during the traditional Friday prayer in Tehran that "lewdness, vicious robes give rise to earthquakes, eruptions and other natural disasters."
According to the opposition newspaper Aftab-e Yazd, Sediqi said: "Many women dress to show off their virtues. This causes young people to deviate from the true path, soil their chastity, initiate extramarital sex in society, which leads to an increase in the frequency of earthquakes. Cataclysms are the result of human actions, we have no other choice but to turn to Islam for protection from all these misfortunes
NORWEGIAN PILOT THINKS IT'S PARANOIA
This is stated in an interview with the Norwegian Daglbladet with an experienced Norwegian aviation pilot Per-Gunnar Stensvog from the Arctic Tromso. The pilot with 35 years of experience believes that the organizations that have closed air traffic over Europe are paranoid and nothing threatens flights.
“Often we get “black snow” in eastern Norway from industrial emissions in Germany, but we continue to fly,” Siensvåg says. The pilot does not see anything terrible and threatening in air pollution by volcanic ash.
FINANCE SING ROMANCES
The volcano with a difficult name has become the cause of conflicts in travel companies. Travelers are demanding a refund. However, most often they are refused - sorry, force majeure.
The same opinion is shared by Rospotrebnadzor of Russia: the head of the Consumer Rights Protection Department O. Prusakov confirmed that tourists whose flight was impossible due to the eruption of the Icelandic volcano cannot demand a refund from the tour operator for unused days in hotels, since the change the dates of the tour came due to the onset of force majeure.
Airlines have suffered losses worth billions of dollars.
IMPACT ON THE ECONOMY OF THE “GOLDEN BILLION”
First of all, the global corporations and cartels that transport especially valuable cargo for them, the security of which can be most firmly ensured by air transportation, will suffer. Weapons, drugs, precursors, raw materials and equipment for them, antiques, money, securities - contracts, shares, bills, etc., electronic media with secret information - the results of state and industrial espionage, secret mail , precious metals, radioactive materials and devices, listening equipment, classified chemical materials, including GMOs and bioadditives, various prestigious luxury items: crocodile skin, ostrich feathers, jewelry, precious stones, collections of fashionable clothes and shoes, furs, high-quality spices, anti-aging medicines, urgently needed by the elderly rulers of the world, exclusive sex toys, expensive prostitutes, intelligence networks, members of the club of billionaires, top officials of states and the like.
The exploitative system of the world economy is threatened with total collapse.

The god of fire showed his face.
The Icelandic volcano is now erupting from three vents. They showed up in contrast in a picture taken in thermal rays, and formed a kind of nightmarish physiognomy - either the devil, or the god of fire. View from space.

Based on materials from the Internet media
Olga Olenich

In the spring of 2010, a volcano erupted in Iceland. A huge cloud of ash was thrown into the atmosphere, as a result of which the airspace of most of the continent was closed, and many flights were canceled. Photos of the grandiose spectacle circulated in large numbers on the Internet, and the name of the volcano - Eyjafjallajokull (Eyjafjallajokull, translated - "Island of mountain glaciers") gave rise to many anecdotes (though, mostly in printed form, it's not so easy to pronounce this word).

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Photo spectacle

People all over the world admire the extraordinary spectacle - some live, some in the photo.

1. Lava erupts from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano against the backdrop of lightning on April 17th. (REUTERS/Lucas Jackson)

2. A volcano near the southern Eyjafjallajokull glacier sends ash into the air at sunset on April 16. Thick puffs of volcanic ash shrouded parts of the Icelandic countryside, and an invisible plume of sand and dust swept over Europe, clearing the skies of planes and forcing hundreds of thousands of people to rush to find hotel rooms, train tickets and hire taxis. (AP Photo/Brynjar Gauti)

3. A car drives along a volcanic ash-strewn road near Kirkjubaeyarklaustur. (AP Photo/Omar Oskarsson)

4. Chunks of ice from a glacier lie against the backdrop of an erupting volcano near Eyjafjallajoku on April 17. (REUTERS/Lucas Jackson)

5. An airplane flies past a pillar of smoke and ash from the Eyyafyatlayokudl volcano on April 17. (REUTERS/Lucas Jackson)

6. Eyyafyatlayokudl volcano in all its splendor. (AP Photo/Brynjar Gauti)

8. Ashes and a column of dust and dirt erupt from the crater of the Eyyafyatlayokudl volcano. (AP Photo/Arnar Thorisson/Helicopter.is)

9. An ash plume stretches south from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano over the North Atlantic Ocean. The picture was taken from a satellite on April 17. A volcano in Iceland erupted another portion of ash and smoke on April 19, but the ash cloud that plunged airlines and tour operators across Europe into chaos fell to a height of 2 km. (REUTERS/NERC Satellite Receiving Station, Dundee University, Scotland)

10. Lava and lightning illuminate the crater of the Eyyafyatlayokudl volcano. (REUTERS/Lucas Jackson)

11. The first of three photographs taken by Olivier Vandeginste 25 km from the crater of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano on April 18. The picture was taken with a 15 second exposure. (Olivier Vandeginste)

12. The second photo of Olivier Vandeginste, taken 25 km from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano. In this 168-second exposure, the pillars of ash are illuminated from within by numerous lightning bolts. (Olivier Vandeginste)

13. Third photograph by Olivier Vandeguinste. Lightning and hot lava illuminate parts of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano. The picture was taken with a 30 second exposure. (Olivier Vandeginste)

14. Lava fountains and flows, a volcanic plume and steam from evaporating snow are visible in this natural-color satellite image. The picture was taken on March 24 by the ALI instrument aboard the Earth Observing-1 satellite. Lava fountains (orange-red) are practically invisible through the lens of the device with a resolution of 10 meters. The cinder cone surrounding the fissure is black, as is the lava flow flowing to the northeast. White volcanic gases and lava rise from the fissure, and where lava meets snow, steam rises into the air. (The bright green stripe along the edge of the lava flow is sensor distortion.) (NASA's Earth Observatory/Robert Simmon)

15. Tourists gathered to watch the Eyyafyatlayokudl volcano spewing lava on March 27. On the morning of April 14, more than 800 people were evacuated in the area of the awakened volcano. (HALLDOR KOLBEINS/AFP/Getty Images)

16. People gathered to look at the lava flow of the Eyjafyatlayokudl volcano on March 27. (HALLDOR KOLBEINS/AFP/Getty Images)

18. Steam and hot gases rise above the lava from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano on April 3. (Ulrich Latzenhofer / CC BY-SA)

19. A farmer photographed the volcano shortly after it erupted. (Zuma Press).

20. Since many volcanoes in Iceland are covered with glaciers, they often flood them from below. The tongues of the glaciers break away from their places, releasing millions of tons of water and ice, which demolish everything in its path.

21. A picture of the volcano Eyyafyatlayokudl from space. It has three craters, ranging in size from 200 to 500 meters in diameter.

A few more photos.

Jokes and anecdotes

Written in a mixture of Icelandic and Norwegian. “Put 30 billion Euros in a dumpster outside the Icelandic embassy tonight, then we will turn off the volcano! Don't call the police."

Mystery of the name

In response to the actions of Iceland, Greenland begins to push into the ocean
icebergs.

New expletive: "Eyafjallajokull to you all over Europe!"

“Did you hear that Eyjafjallajokull came to life?
“Are you sure it’s not Hvannadalsnukur?”
- Of course, Hvannadalsnukur is near Kaulvafellsstadur itself, and Eyjafjallajokull is closer to Vestmannaeyjar if you go towards Snaefellsjokull.
- Thank God, otherwise I have relatives in Brunholskirkja!
If you read this dialogue aloud without hesitation, then you are an Icelander.

Patter: "Eyafyadlaekudl ejaculated, ejaculated, but did not ejaculate."

According to Mayan predictions, until all Europeans learn the word "Eyyafyaldaeküll", the volcano will not stop erupting. If it's hard for you to pronounce it, I suggest remembering the phrase: "Hey, I'm drunk, and forge with him."

We sat with you by the window, eating apple strudel. Both of us can't sleep anymore because Eyafjadlajokull.

"Eyyafyatlayokudl" - whatever you call a boat, that's how it will float.

News anchors are in quiet horror: according to rumors,
the eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in the near future may be added and
pyroclastic flows from the Mexican mountain Popocatepetl.

Volcanoes are frightening and attract a person to them. For centuries they can sleep. An example is the recent history of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano. People cultivate fields on the slopes of fiery mountains, conquer their peaks, build houses. But sooner or later, the fire-breathing mountain will wake up, bringing destruction and misfortune.

It is the sixth largest glacier in Iceland, located in the south, 125 km east of Reykjavik. Under it and partly under the neighboring Myrdalsjökull glacier, a conical volcano hides.

The height of the top of the glacier is 1666 meters, its area is about 100 km². The volcanic crater reaches a diameter of 4 km. Five years ago its slopes were covered with glaciers. The nearest settlement is the village of Skougar, located in the south of the glacier. From here the Skogau river starts, with the famous Skogafoss waterfall.

Eyyafyatlayokudl - the origin of the name

The name of the volcano comes from three Icelandic words that mean island, glacier and mountain. Perhaps that is why it is so difficult to pronounce and hard to remember. According to linguists, only a small part of the inhabitants of the Earth can pronounce this name correctly - Eyyafyatlayokudl volcano. Translation from Icelandic sounds literally like "island of mountain glaciers."

Volcano without a name

As such, the phrase "volcano Eyyafyatlayokudl" entered the world lexicon in 2010. This is funny, considering that in fact, a fire-breathing mountain with that name does not exist in nature. Iceland has many glaciers and volcanoes. There are about thirty of the latter on the island. At 125 kilometers from Reykjavik, in the south of Iceland, there is a rather large glacier. It was he who shared his name with the volcano Eyyafyatlayokudl.

It is under it that there is a volcano, which for many centuries has not come up with a name. He is unnamed. In April 2010, he alarmed the whole of Europe, for some time becoming a world newsmaker. In order not to name it in the media, it was proposed to name it by the name of the glacier - Eyyafyatlayokudl. In order not to confuse our readers, we will call it the same.

Description

Eyjafjallajokull is a typical stratovolcano. In other words, its cone is formed by numerous layers of solidified mixture of lava, ash, stones, etc.

Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano has been active for 700,000 years, but since 1823 it has been categorized as dormant. This suggests that no eruptions have been recorded since the beginning of the 19th century. The state of the Eyyafyatlayokudl volcano did not cause particular cause for concern for scientists. They found that it had erupted several times over the past millennium. True, these manifestations of activity could be classified as calm - they did not pose a danger to people. As evidenced by the documents, the latest eruptions were not distinguished by large emissions of volcanic ash, lava and hot gases.

Irish volcano Eyyafyatlayokudl - the story of one eruption

As already mentioned, after the eruption in 1823, the volcano was recognized as dormant. At the end of 2009, seismic activity intensified in it. Until March 2010, there were about a thousand tremors with a force of 1-2 points. This disturbance occurred at a depth of about 10 km.

In February 2010, employees of the Icelandic Meteorological Institute, using GPS measurements, recorded a displacement of the earth's crust by 3 cm to the southeast in the region of the glacier. Activity continued to grow and reached its maximum by March 3-5. At this time, up to three thousand shocks per day were recorded.

Waiting for the eruption

From the danger zone around the volcano, the authorities decided to evacuate 500 local residents, fearing flooding of the area, which could cause an intense covering of Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano. Keflavik International Airport was closed as a precaution.

Since March 19, the tremors have moved to the east of the northern crater. They were tapped at a depth of 4 - 7 km. Gradually, the activity spread further to the east, and shaking began to occur closer to the surface.

At 23:00 on April 13, Icelandic scientists recorded seismic activity in the central part of the volcano, west of the two cracks that had formed. An hour later, a new eruption began in the south of the central caldera. A column of hot ash rose 8 km.

Another crack appeared, more than 2 kilometers long. The glacier began to actively melt, and its waters flowed both north and south into populated areas. 700 people were urgently evacuated. During the day, meltwater flooded the highway, the first destruction occurred. Volcanic ash has been recorded in southern Iceland.

By April 16, the ash column had reached 13 kilometers. This caused alarm among scientists. When the ash rises above 11 kilometers above sea level, it enters the stratosphere and can be carried over long distances. The spread of ash in an easterly direction was facilitated by a powerful anticyclone over the North Atlantic.

Last eruption

This happened on March 20, 2010. On this day, the last volcanic eruption in Iceland began. Eyjafjallajokull finally woke up at 23:30 GMT. A fault formed in the east of the glacier, the length of which was about 500 meters.

At this time, no large ash emissions were recorded. On April 14, the eruption intensified. It was then that powerful emissions of gigantic volumes of volcanic ash appeared. In this regard, the airspace over part of Europe was closed until April 20, 2010. Occasionally, flights were limited in May 2010. Experts estimated the intensity of the eruption on the VEI scale at 4 points.

Dangerous Ash

It should be noted that there was nothing outstanding in the behavior of the Eyyafyatlayokudl volcano. After seismic activity that lasted several months, a rather calm volcanic eruption began in the region of the glacier on the night of March 20-21. It was not even mentioned in the press. Everything changed only on the night of April 13-14, when the eruption began to be accompanied by the release of a gigantic volume of volcanic ash, and its column reached a great height.

What caused the air transport collapse?

It is worth recalling that since March 20, 2010, an air transport collapse has loomed over the Old World. It was associated with a volcanic cloud, which was created by the suddenly awakened Eyyafyatlayokudl volcano. It is not known where this mountain, silent since the 19th century, gained strength, but gradually a huge cloud of ash, which began to form on April 14, covered Europe.

More than 300 airports across Europe have been paralyzed since airspace was closed. The volcanic ash also caused a lot of anxiety to Russian specialists. Hundreds of flights have been delayed or completely canceled in our country. Thousands of people, including Russians, were waiting for an improvement in the situation at airports around the world.

And the cloud of volcanic ash seemed to play with people, changing the direction of movement daily and completely “did not listen” to the opinions of experts who reassured desperate people that the eruption would not last long.

Geophysicists from the Icelandic weather service told RIA Novosti on April 18 that they were unable to predict the duration of the eruption. Mankind prepared for a protracted "battle" with the volcano and began to count considerable losses.

Oddly enough, but for Iceland itself, the awakening of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano did not have any serious consequences, except, perhaps, for the evacuation of the population and the temporary closure of one airport.

And for continental Europe, a huge column of volcanic ash has become a real disaster, of course, in the transport aspect. This was due to the fact that volcanic ash has such physical properties that are extremely dangerous for aviation. When it enters the aircraft turbine, it is able to stop the engine, which will undoubtedly lead to a terrible disaster.

The risk to aviation is greatly increased due to the large accumulation of volcanic ash in the air, which significantly reduces visibility. This is especially dangerous when landing. Volcanic ash can cause malfunctions in the operation of on-board electronics and radio equipment, on which flight safety largely depends.

Losses

The Eyjafjallajokull volcano eruption brought losses to European travel companies. They claim that their losses exceeded $ 2.3 billion, and the damage that hit the pocket every day was approximately $ 400 million.

Airlines' losses were officially estimated at $1.7 billion. The awakening of the fiery mountain affected 29% of the world's aviation. Every day more than a million passengers became hostages of the eruption.

The Russian Aeroflot also suffered. During the closure of air lines over Europe, the company did not perform 362 flights on time. Her losses were in the millions of dollars.

Expert opinions

Experts say that the volcanic cloud really poses a serious danger to aircraft. When an aircraft hits it, the crew notes very poor visibility. On-board electronics work with big interruptions.

The resulting glassy “shirts” on the engine rotor blades, clogging of the holes that are used to supply air to the engine and other parts of the aircraft, can cause their failure. The captains of the airships agree with this.

Volcano Katla

After the activity of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano faded, many scientists predicted an even more powerful eruption of another Icelandic fiery mountain - Katla. It is much larger and more powerful than Eyyafyatlayokudl.

For the last two millennia, when man watched the eruptions of Eyyafyatlayokudl, Katla also exploded after them at intervals of six months.

These volcanoes are located in the south of Iceland, at a distance of eighteen kilometers from each other. They are connected by a common underground system of magma channels. The Katla crater is located under the Myrdalsjokull glacier. Its area is 700 sq. km, thickness - 500 meters. Scientists are sure that during its eruption, ash will fall into the atmosphere ten times more than in 2010. But fortunately, despite the menacing forecasts of scientists, Katla has not yet shown signs of life.

A volcano with a long name. Icelandic volcano paralyzes air traffic