Tragedy struck in 2010 when Eyjafjallajökull volcano erupted continually for multiple months caused ash and smoke to be pulled across the ocean. Due to the amount of ash and smoke being pulled to neighboring countries, air travel had to be halted, delaying millions of people's travels. The eruptions also caused people who were exposed to the ash and smoke to suffer from rashes, coughing, and wheezing.
What happened?
Eyjafjallajökull volcano began an eruption sequence in 2010 which lasted from January until May of that year. It began by the onset of small earthquakes. By early March the earthquake activity had increased in intensity and frequency. On March 21, fountains of lava began exiting through a 0.3-mile-long vent. On April 14, lava from new fissures surfaced beneath the crater of the glacier-covered summit. The heat from the lava quickly melted and vaporized the glacier ice above. Mud, ice, and meltwater running off the volcano swelled local rivers and streams, especially the Markarfljót glacial river west of the volcano, which flooded farmland and damaged roads. Expanding gasses from the rapid vaporization of ice started a series of explosions that sent steam and ash almost 7 miles into the atmosphere. The steam and ash were driven to northern Europe by the winds. Fearing the damage to commercial aircraft and potential loss of life that could result from flying through the ash cloud, many European countries closed their national airspace and grounded flights for several days.
How to visit
Today, Eyjafjallajökull is safe to visit. The volcano can be visited solo or on a tour that takes you around the South Coast. To see the volcano, you follow highway no. 1 until you get to the town of Hvolsvöllur. Right before you exit the town you turn left onto road 261 and follow it to Fljótshlí, where the road will end in a parking area. Here you can get out of your car and walk around, or you can observe from your car. If you decide to hike Eyjafjallajökull Right before you exit the town you turn left onto road 261 and follow it to Fljótshlí, where the road will end in a parking area. Here you can get out of your car and walk around, or you can observe from your car. If you decide to hike Eyjafjallajökull, it is important to know that the ice has too many crevasses and is considered too dangerous, so an alternative hike to do is Fimmvörðuháls ridge hike.
Things to keep in mind
Eyjafjallajökull connects to Katla volcano, which is a hike-able volcano
Eyjafjallajökull is one of the few stratovolcanoes found in Iceland. This means that there is an ice cap that covers a caldera (hole where lava/magma comes out) – meaning that this glacier has the ability to erupt at any time
Although it has the ability to erupt at any moment, the pattern of eruption shows hundreds of years in between each eruption
No people died in the Eyjafjallajökull eruptions
Hiking Eyjafjallajökull is dangerous and should only be attempted by professionals
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