The Iceland Volcano Eruption: Eyjafjallajokull
By Génesis Mendoza

The eruptions of Eyjafjallajokull caused big problems to air travel in Western and Northern Europe from April to May 2010. Seismic activity started at the end of 2009 and gradually increased its intensity.

Eyjafjallajökull is one of the Iceland’s smaller ice layers located in the far south of the island. This is a 1.666 meters high volcano which has erupted frequently. The most recent eruptions happened in 920,1612 and from 1821 to 1823. The volcanic explosion in March 2010 was divided into different phases. The first one began with the throwing of basaltic lava to several metres in the air and the second one meant the evacuation of nearly 500 people.

The main dangers for air travel were the situation of the volcano and the direction of the cloud of volcanic ash towards the Southeast. The smoke and ash from the eruptions can reduce the visibility and they can affect the engines of the planes too. Many flights in Spain and the rest of Europe were cancelled after the eruption.

The number of travels to Iceland increased with the eruption. Airlines offered trips to see the phaenomena produced by the volcano. Iceland Telecom installed three web cameras to see the eruption in Valahnukur, Hvolsvollur and Porolfsfell.