Eyjafjallajökull is a volcano in Iceland, located under the glacier of the same name, the name of which only 0.005 percent of the world's population can pronounce. 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 was impossible to ignore.

The excessive activity of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano and the powerful release of ash into the atmosphere led to the cancellation of 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 fast asleep. Its previous eruption was recorded between 1821 and 1823. – in two years the volcano caused enormous damage to the nearby territory. However, Icelanders are accustomed to such disasters. There are several active volcanoes, which periodically remind of their existence. So the Eyjafjallajökull eruption did not cause panic local population, on the contrary, provoked a real tourism boom. Admire an impressive sight people came from all over the world.

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 it. For simplicity, they began to call him by the same name. Eyjafjallajökull translated into Russian literally means “glacier of the island mountains.” The height of the peak is 1666 meters, and the diameter of the crater, which was hidden under ice for many years, is 4 km.

Naturally, scientists monitored Eyjafjallajökull, but could not predict the full scale of the upcoming eruption. The volcano located 12 km to the east, Katla, has always attracted much more attention from scientists. In the 20th century it was particularly active. Consequently, it was popular among tourists visiting the island.

All types of travel are available to exotic lovers in Iceland: car, walking, and also helicopter excursions by air. Only from above can one fully appreciate the power of volcanoes. In addition to evidence of the Earth's fiery breath, Iceland is famous for its rivers, waterfalls and geysers. Getting to know them is included in the mandatory tourist program. At the foot of the Eyjafjallajökull glacier is the village of Skógar and the most visited waterfall in the country, Skógafoss on the Skógau River. Famous tourist routes pass by it, leading to the Fimmvurduhauls pass between the Eyjafjallajökull and Myrdalsjökull glaciers.

Photo of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland.

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 airspaces - in particular, flights were canceled at the airports of London, Copenhagen and Oslo.

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

The Eyjafjallajökull volcano is a cone-shaped 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 often. This country contains almost all types of volcanoes found on Earth. Ice caps and other glaciers cover an area of 11,900 square kilometers.

Since many of Iceland's volcanoes are covered by glaciers, they are often flooded from below. The tongues of glaciers break from their places, releasing millions of tons of water and ice that destroy everything in their path.

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

However, after research, experts came to the conclusion that threats to local residents the eruption does not represent. A few days later, 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; they saw that the crack from which the lava comes out is about 500 meters long. In addition, the filming was carried out from the air. Many were published on the popular video portal YouTube.

Here is one of such filming - a sight that is bewitchingly beautiful and terrifying at the same time.

Icelandic scientists have been monitoring the volcano for a long time, tracking signs of seismic activity. In their opinion, the eruption may last about another year or even two. Last eruption Eyjafjallajokull was registered 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, it created a threat to health, namely the bone structure of people and livestock.

Scientists record outbreaks of activity of giant and the most dangerous volcano Katla in Iceland, which was silent for almost a hundred years. A volcanic explosion could be so colossal that the volcano would release toxic ash into the atmosphere that could instantly kill more than 200,000 people. Katla is a close neighbor to the Eyjafjallajökull volcano, whose eruption in April 2010 caused the worst aviation collapse since World War II.

Deep under a glacier in Iceland, a massive disaster is brewing. Experts say the Katla volcano, popularly known as the “evil witch,” is preparing to unleash its deadly wrath across Northern Europe.

Katla is a volcano south coast Iceland, one of the largest in the country.

IN this moment Katla is showing all the clear signs of an imminent explosion. It could be so colossal that the volcano would release toxic ash into the atmosphere that could instantly kill more than 200,000 people. Scientists fear Katla will once again plunge Europe into chaos, as in 2010, when the eruption of its neighbor Eyjafjallajökull volcano led to the largest aviation collapse since World War II. A powerful plume of ash virtually paralyzed air travel, leaving millions of people stranded in Northern Europe from mid-April to mid-May.

In total, 14 eruptions of Katla are known. Previously, the volcano erupted every 50-80 years, but since 1918 it has been silent - during the last eruption it threw five times more ash into the sky than its neighbor Eyjafjallajökull in 2010. Katla's predicted eruption today will be the first in nearly 100 years. Katla is currently emitting between 12 and 24 kilotons of carbon dioxide every day, and the volcano's magma chambers are filling up, signaling an approaching disaster and causing experts to sound the alarm.

Peak seismic activity in Iceland occurs in autumn, which also carries the highest risk of eruptions. The accumulation of magma inside Katla is greatly enhanced by the presence of a glacier on its crater - this acts much like the lid on a giant pressure cooker. The fact that the volcano is hidden under glaciers also makes monitoring its activity much more difficult.

Katla is far from large settlements Iceland, and the eruption does not threaten local residents. One of the main dangers is that the volcanic activity of Katla can cause powerful melting of nearby glaciers and flooding of neighboring areas with melt water.

Icelanders have a legend about Katla, which dates back more than eight centuries. According to legend, Katla is the name of a hot-tempered and cruel housekeeper at a local monastery, who possessed supernatural powers. One day, when she was accused of witchcraft, the “evil witch” escaped and jumped into the Mýrdalsjökull glacier (which is located above the volcano). An eruption began, destroying the monastery and killing all its inhabitants. Legend warns that one day Katla will return to take revenge.

In the spring of 2010, a volcanic eruption began in Iceland. A huge cloud of ash was released into the atmosphere, causing air space Much of the continent was closed and many flights were cancelled. Photos of the grandiose spectacle circulated in large numbers on the Internet, and the name of the volcano - Eyjafjallajokull (translated as “Island of Mountain Glaciers”) gave rise to many anecdotes (though mostly in printed form, it is not so easy to pronounce this word).

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Photo of the spectacle

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

1. Lava erupts from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano amid lightning on April 17. (REUTERS/Lucas Jackson)

2. The volcano near the southern glacier Eyjafjallajokull sends ash into the air at sunset on April 16. Thick clouds of volcanic ash blanketed parts of the Icelandic countryside and an invisible plume of sand and dust blanketed Europe, clearing the skies of planes and sending hundreds of thousands of people scrambling to find hotel rooms, train tickets and hire a taxi. (AP Photo/Brynjar Gauti)

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

4. Chunks of ice from a glacier lie in front of an erupting volcano near Eyjafjallajokull on April 17. (REUTERS/Lucas Jackson)

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

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

8. Ash and a column of dust and dirt erupts from the crater of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano. (AP Photo/Arnar Thorisson/Helicopter.is)

9. An ash plume stretches from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano to the south over northern part Atlantic Ocean. The image was taken from a satellite on April 17. A volcano in Iceland spewed another batch 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 Eyjafjallajokull 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 photo was taken with a 15 second exposure. (Olivier Vandeginste)

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

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

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

15. Tourists gather to watch the Eyjafjallajokull volcano erupt with 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 gather to watch the lava flow of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano on March 27. (HALLDOR KOLBEINS/AFP/Getty Images)

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

19. A farmer took a photograph of the volcano shortly after it erupted. (Zuma Press).

20. Since many of Iceland's volcanoes are covered by glaciers, they often flood them from below. The tongues of glaciers break from their places, releasing millions of tons of water and ice that destroy everything in their path.

21. Photo of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano 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 the dumpster outside the Icelandic embassy tonight, then we'll shut down the volcano! Don't call the police."

The mystery of the name

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

New curse word: “Eyafjallajökull to you all over Europe!”

— Did you hear that Eyjafjallajökull has come to life?
“Are you sure it’s not Hvannadalsnukur?”
— Of course, Hvannadalsnukur is near Kaulvafellsstaður itself, and Eyjafjallajokull is closer to Vestmannaeyjar if you go towards Snæfellsjokull.
- Thank God, otherwise I have relatives in Brynholeskirkja!
If you read this dialogue out loud without hesitation, then you are an Icelander.

Tongue twister: “Eyafjallajökull ejaculated, ejaculated, but did not ejaculate.”

According to Mayan predictions, until all Europeans learn the word “Eyjafjaldayökull”, the volcano will not stop erupting. If you find it difficult to pronounce this, I suggest you remember the phrase: “Hey, I’m drunk, fuck off with it.”

You and I sat by the window, eating apple strudel. We both can't sleep anymore because Eyafjallajokull.

“Eyjafjallajokull” - whatever you call the boat, that’s how it will float.

The presenters of news programs are in quiet horror: according to rumors,
eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano may soon include
pyroclastic flows from the Mexican mountain Popocatépetl.

In Iceland, the Eyjafjallajokull volcano has awakened after a 200-year hibernation. The eruption began on March 21, 2010 and was so powerful that the country declared a state of emergency and evacuated hundreds of residents of nearby settlements.
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 airspaces - in particular, flights were canceled at the airports of London, Copenhagen and Oslo.

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

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

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

Icelandic scientists have been monitoring the volcano for a long time, tracking signs of seismic activity. In their opinion, the eruption may last about another year or even two. The last eruption of Eyjafjallajokull 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, it created a threat to health, namely the bone structure of people and livestock.

If the current eruption continues for as long as it does, the airspace over Europe will have to be closed and opened periodically, depending on the activity of the volcano, warns Professor Bill McGuire, an expert at the center for the study natural disasters at University College London.

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