Blog Topic #12

Eyjafjallajokull, Iceland, home to the recently erupted volcano, is one of the smaller glaciers in Iceland and is located to the north of Skógar and to the west of the larger glacier Mýrdalsjökull. The volcano has erupted twice. The first eruption was on March 20 and the second eruption was on April 14, 2010. The second eruption produced a large plume of ash that has caused the cancellation and delaying of flights all around the world. The fallen ash and eruptions could kill acres of forest and change the landscape and geology of Iceland. Thousands of people have been left stranded at airports, due to the eruptions, in different parts of the world. The flight cancellations have hurt the economy because airlines have lost millions of dollars due to the cancellations and delays. The recent eruptions have also caused the displacement of many people. Hundreds of people have been evacuated to safer locations. The eruptions could cause people to be permanently relocated, which would mean jobs would be lost.



The President of Poland died on April 10th in a plane crash. President Obama was unable to fly to Poland for the service because of the volcanic eruption in Iceland. The eruption of Eyjafjallajokull has historically been followed by the eruption of its larger neighbor, Katla. Iceland and other countries are preparing for the possible, and highly likely, eruption of Katla. The potential future eruption could be larger and more devastating than that of Eyjafjallajokull.