Eyjafjallajökull

Eyjafjallajökull is a live volcano in southern Iceland that is part of the country’s East Volcanic Zone. Its 2010 eruption disrupted European and transatlantic flights for two weeks. The term Eyjafjallajökull is taken from an Icelandic word that means “the mountain glacier of the island.” Eyjafjallajökull is buried beneath the volcano (Eyjafjalla Glacier). The highest point of the glacier is 5,466 feet (1,666 metres) above sea level.

The volcano is also known as Eyjafjalla Glacier volcano, Eyjafjöll volcano, and Eyjafjalla volcano. Eyjafjallajokull is a volcano that is fully encased in ice. Eyjafjallajokull is among Iceland’s lesser ice caps. The ice cap includes multiple outlet glaciers and covers an area of around 100 square kilometres (39 square miles). To the north, the primary outlet glaciers are Gigjokull, which drains into Lonid, and Steinholtsjokull, which flows into Steinholtslon. 

The highest point of the mountain is 1,651 metres (5,417 feet). It contains a 3–4-kilometre-diameter (1.9–2.5-mile) crater that expands to the north. Since the last glacial epoch, the volcano erupted somewhat often, most notably in 2010.

The Eruptive Event that Brought the Planet to a Halt

After being inactive for 180 years, Eyjafjallajokull began spouting molten lava in an isolated area of South Iceland on March 20, 2010. After a brief pause, the volcano exploded again from the summit crater on April 14, 2010. The fresh eruption resulted in significant floods, forcing 800 people to flee. This second eruption sent volcanic ash hundreds of kilometres into the atmosphere. The ash plume disrupted aviation traffic in North-West Europe. The outage lasted six days and delayed thousands of passengers.

It occurred once more in May, leading to the shutdown of several portions of Europe’s airspace. The eruption also caused lightning storms, which are quite uncommon in Iceland.

The London Volcanic Ash Advisory Commission pronounced the eruption to be over on May 23.

The volcano continued to experience multiple earthquakes every day, and volcanologists kept a careful eye on it. Eyjafjallajökull remained inactive as of August 2010.

Eyjafjallajökull’s Aftermath

There, at the time of the eruption, around 2,700 people were recorded as residing in municipalities that may be impacted by an Eyjafjallajökull eruption. Sheep, cattle, and horse farming were the most important sources of income in the region, and many locals were also interested in tourism. 

Many locals were anxious about leaving their cattle unattended when they were asked to leave because of the probable risk of jökulhlaup, which is an Icelandic term meaning glacial outburst flood. Despite this, many individuals cooperated, and officials deemed the evacuations a success (Bird and Gsladóttir, 2018).

It’s worth noting here how villagers and the government worked together during evacuations in rural regions. People who were fleeing their houses posted a notice (coloured cardboard) on a window or other clearly visible location so that their neighbours or other passers-by were aware of the danger. The police watched the main road exits from the region and asked drivers which farms had posted the notice. This saved police officers the effort and time of actually visiting every farm.

The Jökulhlaup and Eruption caused no Fatalities or Major Injuries.

Many neighbours and rescue personnel argued that roads and tracks leading to the volcano should have been blocked to all vehicles to prevent tourists from endangering their own lives since many tourists were unprepared for the circumstances. In reality, two people died of cold after becoming disoriented during a journey to see the earlier flank eruption. It should be emphasised that, whereas the majority of inhabitants evacuated, Bird and Gsladóttir (2018) discovered that nearly half (47 percent) did not, many due to the necessity to care for elderly relatives or animals, or because they believed it was safer to stay in their own houses. Some others thought the evacuation instructions didn’t apply to them.

Nonetheless, the Community had faith in those in Charge of Public Safety.

This trust resulted from the constant and apparent openness and honesty between officials and villagers long before the eruption began, as well as throughout the initial modest explosion on the mountain’s flank and the more serious summit eruption. Officials also gained the trust of the community by loosening evacuation regulations and allowing farmers to re-enter the danger zone for 2-hour intervals each day to care for their cattle. While many individuals fared well in the aftermath of the eruption, their agricultural and tourism enterprises did not fare as well. The volcanic ashfall and glacial outburst floods impacted the farmland and cattle of around 120 farms (Thorvaldsdottir and Sigbjörnsson, 2015).

In April and May 2010, there was a significant decrease in the number of inbound tourists visiting Iceland, impacting the local hospitality business.

However, the exposure generated by the historic eruption appears to have helped in the commencement of an unparalleled tourist boom in Iceland, with an annual increase of 16 percent in 2011 and a 39 percent year-on-year increase in 2016. (Icelandic Tourism Board, 2011, 2019)

In conclusion:

Several European nations shut their sovereign airspace and grounded flights for many days. They feared volcanic damage to passenger airliners and probable loss of life that may ensue from flying over the ash cloud. Yet, the Eyjafjallajökull eruption was one of the greatest volcanic events witnessed by the world that helped in developing multiple preventive measures for volcanic events.