Eyjafjallajokull Volcano Erupts in Iceland. Will Katla Volcano Be Next?

A volcano named Eyjafjallajokull has erupted in Iceland. Several hundred people have been evacuated. The volcano erupted with virtually no warning after 200 years of dormancy. Though fears of the volcano and its ability to melt the nearby glacier have somewhat lessened, the fear that the Eyjafjallajokull volcano may spark a Katla volcano is worrisome.

The Eyjafjallajokull volcano was described as fairly small and peaceful but people who were evacuated were concerned about their livestock. Livestock can be affected by the noxious gases from the volcano. Between the gases and ash, plants and livestock have suffered great losses in past volcanoes. People had no time to move livestock before Eyjafjallajokull erupted. There had been several small earthquakes in the area for several weeks preceding the Eyjafjallajokull volcano.

Scientists say that the area where the Eyjafjallajokull volcano erupted was the best of scenarios. There was no ice to melt in that particular area. So flooding is not the concern that it might have been had there been a heavy ice covering.

The worry now is that the Eyjafjallajokull volcano may cause the Katla volcano to erupt. Scientists fear that a Katla eruption would be a much larger and much more dangerous eruption than Eyjafjallajokull was. The Katla volcano is sitting on a glacier that has much ice covering. The fear would be that an eruption at the Katla volcano would set about flooding as the massive glacier ice would melt from the heat of the volcano.

3 Icelandair flights from America were turned back. A flight to Oslo was also canceled. But officials thought flights would be back on schedule Sunday or Monday.

The population around Eyjafjallajokull is sparse and evacuation took place easily. Another part of the fear of a Katla volcano eruption is that it has a much denser population and could incur more injuries or death. So far, no human injuries or deaths have been reported with the eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano.

All eyes will be centered on the Katla volano. Volcanoes, like earthquakes, cannot be pinpointed to an exact time of occurrence. Scientists will keep a sharp eye out for any movements like earthquakes in or around the Katla area.

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sources: my motherlode
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