Fire and Ice: The Latest Volcano

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3982273.stm

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, Grimsvotn 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.


Officials say people or homes are not at risk from the eruption of Grimsvotn, which is in an unpopulated area of the island.
But ash from the eruption under Vatnajokull glacier - Iceland's biggest - has landed in Norway, Sweden and Finland. The eruption was also violent enough to set off earth tremors.

Oli Thor Arnarsson of Iceland's 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.

Cancelled flights

Trans-Atlantic flights had been diverted south of Iceland to avoid the ash cloud, and domestic flights to the northeast of Iceland were cancelled.


Dutch airline KLM said it had cancelled 59 flights, stranding hundreds of passengers at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, because of the cloud of ash hanging above Europe.
"Because of company rules we can't fly below it and we can't fly above it," said airport spokesman Frank Houben.

In addition to the threat from possible visibility problems, dust clouds from volcanic eruptions have been known to stop aircraft engines.

Grimsvotn 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 Grimsvotn - lie on the same fault line.

During the late 18th century, continuous volcanic eruptions in Iceland heavily damaged a quarter of the island nation, and blotted out the sun's light for several years.


Mother Nature can be very inconvenient.