Volcanic eruptions in Iceland spur series of ill-fated events

By Molly Ploughman

     Iceland has suffered from a series of unfortunate events over the last few years, most recently massive volcanic eruptions.

     On Wednesday, April 14, over 800 people were evacuated when a long-dormant volcano erupted underneath the Eyjafjallajokull glacier. The glacier is the sixth-biggest in Iceland and is 100 miles east of its capital, Reykjavik. Lava flow will not be much of a concern for the inhabitants, but flooding will be."The volcano is under the glacier, and it’s melting parts of the glacier," Olafsson said. "The rivers will rise and potentially make some damage."

     What is happening is that the lava is causing the glaciers to melt and form pools of warm water underneath the glaciers, causing glacial melting and hazardous flooding.

     Ash from the explosion is proving to be hazardous to aircrafts, causing the closing of several airports and cancellation of most flights in northern Europe.

     Fortunately, these volcanic eruptions have increased tourism to this island nation as curious onlookers pay to get a closer look. This has been beneficial to their economy, which is in ruins after their banks began to collapse in 2008.