In the spring of 2010 in Iceland, after more than 200 years of hibernation, a volcano under the Eyjafjallajokull glacier became active. The first time the volcano made itself felt on March 20, but the "test" eruption did not lead to any serious consequences. On April 14, it began to erupt again and threw a huge amount of ash into the air, because of which it was necessary to almost completely stop air traffic over Europe.

The volcano under the Eyjafjallajokull glacier (Eyjafjallajokull, the correct pronunciation of this word can be heard) does not have its own name, therefore it is customary to call it by the name of the glacier in the media. He wakes up on average once every two hundred years. Over the last millennium, it entered the active phase 4 times, the last one between 1821 and 1823. The eruptions did not turn into any particularly serious destruction, despite the fact that the volcano is located 200 kilometers from the Icelandic capital Reykjavik. In the 19th century, eruptions were limited to ash emissions, which, however, were quite poisonous due to the high content of fluorine.

The fact that the Icelandic volcano will wake up this spring became known back in 2009, when seismologists recorded a large number of weak earthquakes with a magnitude of up to 3 in the vicinity of the glacier. In early March, more than three thousand earthquakes were recorded on the Eyjafjallajokull glacier, which clearly indicated an impending eruption. On March 20, the volcano finally woke up, the first eruption began.

The power of the eruptions was relatively low: local travel companies even began to organize helicopter trips to Eyjafjallajokudl. However, about 500 farmers have been evacuated from the glacier area, and local and international flights to Iceland have been suspended. By the evening of the next day, when it became known that the awakened volcano did not present any danger, all emergency measures were canceled, and the evacuated citizens were allowed to return home a few more days later.

Scientists have established observation of the volcano. Magma continued to flow from faults in the glacier until almost the second major eruption on April 14.

If the first signs of activity of a volcano near Reykjavik in 200 years passed almost unnoticed, then the second eruption affected the life of all of Europe. First, it turned out to be about twenty times more powerful than the first. Secondly, magma began to erupt not from several faults in different parts of the glacier, but from one crater. The incandescent rock began to melt the glacier and triggered minor flooding in local areas, from where the authorities hastily evacuated about a thousand farmers.

Well, the main cause of concern was the huge amount of ash thrown into the atmosphere by the eruption. The ash cloud rose to a height of about 6-10 kilometers and spread over the territory of Great Britain, Denmark and the Scandinavian countries and the countries of the Baltic region. The appearance of ash was not long in coming in Russia - in the vicinity of St. Petersburg, Murmansk and a number of other cities. On the evening of April 15, it looked something like this.

Volcanic ash settles for a very long time (the cloud after the eruption of the Krakatoa volcano settled only after it circled the Earth twice), and poses a great danger to aircraft. The Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute named after Zhukovsky notes that ash particles, when they get into the engines, form the so-called glassy "shirts" on the rotor blades and can lead to their stoppage. Ash also impairs visibility, negatively affects the stability of radio communications and can damage the on-board electronics. For safety reasons, flights in places of its congestion are prohibited.

The decision to restrict the movement of aircraft in Europe was made immediately after the scale of the eruption on the Eyjafjallajokull glacier became apparent. Already in the afternoon of April 15, all flights, except for emergency flights, were canceled at London Heathrow. This was followed by cancellations and rescheduling of flights at other airports throughout Europe. France closed 24 airports, airports in Berlin and Hamburg were closed by Thursday evening, and then in others German cities... As the cloud moved across Europe, new flight cancellations followed, including flights across the Atlantic Ocean and even to Australia and New Zealand.

Air traffic in Minsk is limited, the Russian Aeroflot has canceled about 20 flights in European cities... The Khrabrovo airport in Kaliningrad is completely closed for receiving and departing aircraft, the same measures have been taken at the airports of Lithuania bordering the Kaliningrad region. In total, about four thousand flights were canceled on Thursday, on Friday this number may rise to 11 thousand.

Among the victims of flight delays are thousands of tourists stranded at airports and many businessmen whose plans and business negotiations have been thwarted. No exceptions were made even for top officials of states - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin had to cancel his working trip to Murmansk and stay in Moscow.

Also, the visit of the heads of many states to Poland to President Lech Kaczynski, which is scheduled for April 18, remains in jeopardy. Polish airspace has been closed almost completely since early Friday morning, only Krakow airport is functioning (the Polish president will be buried in the Krakow castle), however, most flights in it have been canceled or postponed indefinitely. However, there is no talk of postponing the date of the funeral of Kaczynski, who died in the plane crash near Smolensk.

The last time Europe and the world as a whole faced such a massive cancellation of flights was only in 2001, when aircraft hijacked by terrorists destroyed the Twin Towers in New York. Panic then, for obvious reasons, was much greater, as well as fears for the lives of passengers.

When everything will return to normal in this case, it is not clear. On the one hand, the representatives of the airports are trying not to stir up panic and promise to resume flights by the end of Friday or, in extreme cases, by Saturday, on the other hand, scientists warn that the ash will affect air traffic for several more weeks, or even months. According to preliminary data, the eruption will cost airlines about a billion dollars.

In the spring of 2010, a volcanic eruption began in Iceland. A huge ash cloud was thrown into the atmosphere, closing most of the continent's airspace and canceling many flights. Photos of the grandiose spectacle were circulated on the Internet in huge numbers, and the name of the volcano - Eyjafjallajokull (translated as "Island of Mountain Glaciers") gave rise to many anecdotes (though mostly in print, it is not so easy to pronounce this word).

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Photo of the spectacle

People all over the world admire the extraordinary spectacle - some live, some in the photo.

1. Lava erupts from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano amid lightning on April 17. (REUTERS / Lucas Jackson)

2. A volcano near the southern glacier Eyjafjallajokull sends ash into the air at sunset on April 16. Dense clouds of volcanic ash enveloped parts of the Icelandic countryside, and an invisible plume of sand and dust covered Europe, "clearing" the sky of planes and forcing hundreds of thousands of people in a hurry to search hotel rooms, train tickets and hire a taxi. (AP Photo / Brynjar Gauti)

3. The car drives on a strewn volcanic ash road near Kirkjubaearklaustur. (AP Photo / Omar Oskarsson)

4. Chunks of ice from a glacier lie against the backdrop of an erupting volcano near Eyjafjallajokull on April 17. (REUTERS / Lucas Jackson)

5. A plane flies past a pillar of smoke and ash from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano on April 17. (REUTERS / Lucas Jackson)

6. Eyjafjallajokull volcano in all its splendor. (AP Photo / Brynjar Gauti)

8. Ash and a column of dust and dirt burst from the crater of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano. (AP Photo / Arnar Thorisson / Helicopter.is)

9. A plume of ash extends from the Eyjafjallajökull volcano to the south above northern part Atlantic Ocean... The image was taken from the satellite on April 17. A volcano in Iceland erupted another batch of ash and smoke on April 19, but the ash cloud, which plunged airlines and tour operators throughout Europe into chaos, fell to a height of 2 km. (REUTERS / NERC Satellite Receiving Station, Dundee University, Scotland)

10. Lava and lightning illuminate the crater of Eyjafjallajokull volcano. (REUTERS / Lucas Jackson)

11. The first of three photographs taken by Olivier Vandeginste 25 km from the crater of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano on April 18. The picture was taken with a 15 second exposure. (Olivier Vandeginste)

12. The second photo of Olivier Vandeginste, taken 25 km from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano. In this 168-second exposure photo, pillars of ash are illuminated from the inside with multiple lightning bolts. (Olivier Vandeginste)

13. Third photograph by Olivier Vandeginste. Lightning and red-hot lava illuminate parts of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano. The photo was taken with a 30 second exposure. (Olivier Vandeginste)

14. This natural-color satellite image shows fountains and lava flows, a volcanic plume and vapor from evaporating snow. The image was taken on March 24 by the ALI instrument aboard the Earth Observing-1 satellite. Lava fountains (orange-red) are practically invisible through the lens of the apparatus with a resolution of 10 meters. The cinder cone surrounding the crack is black, as is the lava flow northeastward. White volcanic gases and lava rise from the crack, and steam rises into the air where lava meets snow. (A bright green bar along the edge of the lava flow is a distortion from the sensor.) (NASA's Earth Observatory / Robert Simmon)

15. Tourists gather to watch the volcano Eyjafjallajokull spew lava on March 27. On the morning of April 14, more than 800 people were evacuated in the area of ​​the awakened volcano. (HALLDOR KOLBEINS / AFP / Getty Images)

16. People gathered to watch the lava flow of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano on March 27. (HALLDOR KOLBEINS / AFP / Getty Images)

18. Steam and hot gases rise above the lava from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano on April 3. (Ulrich Latzenhofer / CC BY-SA)

19. A farmer photographed the volcano shortly after its eruption. (Zuma Press).

20. Since many of Iceland's volcanoes are covered with glaciers, they often flood them from below. Glacier tongues break loose from their places, releasing millions of tons of water and ice that blow away everything in their path.

21. A snapshot of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano from space. It has three craters ranging in size from 200 to 500 meters in diameter.

A few more photos.

Jokes and anecdotes

Written in a mixture of Icelandic and Norwegian. “Put 30 billion Euros in the dumpster outside the Icelandic embassy tonight, then we'll turn off the volcano! Don't call the police. "

The mystery of the name

In response to Iceland's actions, Greenland begins to sink into the ocean
icebergs.

New curse word: "Eyafjallajökull to you all over Europe!"

- Heard that Eyjafjallajokull has come to life?
“Are you sure it’s not Hvannadalsnukur?”
- Of course, Hvannadalsnukur is near Kaulvafellsstajur itself, and Eyjafjallajokull is closer to Vestmannaeyjar, if you go in the direction of Snйfellsjokull.
- Thank God, otherwise I have relatives in Brunhoulskirkja!
If you read this dialogue out loud without hesitation, then you are an Icelander.

Patter: "Eyafjadlajökull ejaculated, ejaculated, but did not ejaculate."

According to Mayan predictions, until all Europeans learn the word "Eyjafjaldaekull", the volcano will not stop erupting. If you find it difficult to pronounce it, I suggest remembering the phrase: "Hey, I'm drunk, and hit it with him."

We sat at the window with you, eating apple strudel. We both have no time for sleep, because Eyafjadlajökull.

"Eyjafjallajokull" - whatever you call the boat, so it will float.

News anchors are quietly horrified: rumored to be
eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in the near future may be added and
pyroclastic flows from the Mexican mountain Popocatepetl.

In Iceland, after 200 years of "hibernation", the Eyjafjallajokull volcano woke up. The eruption began on March 21, 2010 and was so powerful that a state of emergency was declared in the country and hundreds of nearby residents were evacuated. settlements.
On April 14, a new eruption began, accompanied by the release of a huge amount of ash into the atmosphere. The next day, a dozen European countries were forced to fully or partially close their airspaces - in particular, flights were canceled at the airports of London, Copenhagen and Oslo.

Eyjafjallajokull means "Island of Mountain Glaciers". The volcano is located 200 kilometers east of Reykjavik between the Eyjafjallajokull and Mirdalsjokull glaciers. These are the largest ice caps in the south of the northern island country, covering active volcanoes.

Eyjafjallajokull Volcano is a conical glacier, the sixth largest in Iceland. The height of the volcano is 1666 meters. The crater diameter is 3-4 kilometers, the glacial cover is about 100 square kilometers.

Iceland lies on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, where volcanic eruptions occur quite often. Almost all types of volcanoes found on Earth are represented in this country. Ice caps and other glaciers cover an area of ​​11,900 square kilometers.

Since many of Iceland's volcanoes are covered with glaciers, they often flood them from below. Glacier tongues break loose from their places, releasing millions of tons of water and ice that blow away everything in their path.

It is because of these concerns that Iceland has taken such serious security measures since the awakening of Eyjafjallajokull in 2010. In particular, after its March eruption, traffic on nearby roads was stopped and residents were evacuated. Local authorities feared that the volcanic lava would melt the glacier and cause severe flooding.

However, after the research carried out, experts came to the conclusion that the threats to local residents the eruption does not represent. A few days later, the authorities allowed people to return to their homes.

Volcanologists were able to approach the crater at a distance of several meters and film the eruption on camera, they saw that the crack from which the lava comes out is about 500 meters long. In addition, the filming was carried out from the air. Many have been published on the popular YouTube video portal.

Icelandic scientists have been observing the volcano for a long time, tracking signs of seismic activity. In their opinion, the eruption could last about another year or even two. The last eruption of Eyjafjallajokull was recorded in 1821. Then it lasted until 1823 and caused the threatening melting of the glacier. In addition, due to the high content of fluorine compounds (fluorides) in its emissions, a threat to health was created, namely the bone structure of people and livestock.

If the current eruption continues for as long, then the airspace over Europe will have to be closed and reopened periodically, depending on the activity of the volcano, warns Professor Bill McGuire, an expert at the Center for the Study of Natural Disasters at University College London.

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Eyjafjallajökull is a volcano in Iceland, located under the glacier of the same name, the name of which can only be pronounced by 0.005 percent of the world's population. In 2010, the small northern country of Iceland decided to remind Europeans of its existence. And she did it in such a way that the message could not be ignored.

The overly active activity of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano and the powerful release of ash into the atmosphere led to the cancellation of several tens of thousands of flights. This eruption can rightfully be considered one of the most remarkable events of the past year.

For two hundred years now, Eyjafjallajökull was considered sound asleep. Its previous eruption was recorded between 1821 and 1823. - in two years, the volcano caused enormous damage to the surrounding area. However, Icelanders are accustomed to such cataclysms. There are several active volcanoes which periodically remind of their existence. So the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull did not panic local population on the contrary, it provoked a real tourist boom. People from all over the world came to admire the impressive spectacle.

In fact, the volcano that attracted so much tourist attention to Iceland didn't even have a name of its own. Previously, the Eyjafjallajökull glacier was known, located 125 km from Reykjavik and hiding a conical-shaped volcano under it. For simplicity, they began to call it by the same name. Eyjafjallajökull translated into Russian literally means "glacier of the island mountains." The height of the summit is 1666 meters, and the diameter of the crater, which has been hidden under the ice for many years, is 4 km.

Naturally, scientists were observing Eyjafjallajökull, but could not predict the full scale of the upcoming eruption. Much more attention of scientists has always been attracted by the volcano located 12 km to the east - Katla. In the XX century, he was noted for special activity. Consequently, it was popular with tourists visiting the island.

For lovers of exotic, all types of travel are available in Iceland: auto, walking, and helicopter excursions by air. Only from above can the power of the volcanoes be fully assessed. Apart from the evidence of the fiery breath of the Earth, Iceland is famous for its rivers, waterfalls and geysers. Acquaintance with them is included in the compulsory tourist program. At the foot of the Eyjafjallajökull Glacier is the village of Skogar and the most visited waterfall in the country, Skogafoss on the Skogau River. Famous tourist routes leading to the Fimmvurduhauls pass between the Eyjafjallajökull and Myrdalsjökull glaciers pass by.

Photo of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland.

In Iceland, after 200 years of "hibernation", the Eyjafjallajokull volcano woke up. The eruption began on March 21, 2010 and was so powerful that a state of emergency was declared in the country and hundreds of residents of nearby settlements were evacuated.
Russia 1

In Iceland, after 200 years of "hibernation", the Eyjafjallajokull volcano woke up. The eruption began on March 21, 2010 and was so powerful that a state of emergency was declared in the country and hundreds of residents of nearby settlements were evacuated.

On April 14, a new eruption began, accompanied by the release of a huge amount of ash into the atmosphere. The next day, a dozen European countries were forced to fully or partially close their airspaces - in particular, flights were canceled at the airports of London, Copenhagen and Oslo.

Eyjafjallajokull(Eyjafjallajokull) means "Island of Mountain Glaciers". The volcano is located 200 kilometers east of Reykjavik between the Eyjafjallajokull and Mirdalsjokull glaciers. These are the largest ice caps in the south of the northern island country, covering active volcanoes.

Eyjafjallajokull Volcano is a conical glacier, the sixth largest in Iceland. The height of the volcano is 1666 meters. The crater diameter is 3-4 kilometers, the glacial cover is about 100 square kilometers.

Iceland lies on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, where volcanic eruptions occur quite often. Almost all types of volcanoes found on Earth are represented in this country. Ice caps and other glaciers cover an area of ​​11,900 square kilometers.

Since many of Iceland's volcanoes are covered with glaciers, they often flood them from below. Glacier tongues break loose from their places, releasing millions of tons of water and ice that blow away everything in their path.

It is because of these concerns that Iceland has taken such serious security measures since the awakening of Eyjafjallajokull in 2010. In particular, after its March eruption, traffic on nearby roads was stopped and residents were evacuated. Local authorities feared that the volcanic lava would melt the glacier and cause severe flooding.

However, after the research carried out, experts came to the conclusion that the eruption does not pose a threat to local residents. A few days later, the authorities allowed people to return to their homes.

Volcanologists were able to approach the crater at a distance of several meters and film the eruption on camera, they saw that the crack from which the lava comes out is about 500 meters long. In addition, the filming was carried out from the air. Many have been published on the popular YouTube video portal.

Here is one of such filming - a spectacle bewitchingly beautiful and frightening at the same time.

Icelandic scientists have been observing the volcano for a long time, tracking signs of seismic activity. In their opinion, the eruption could last about another year or even two. The last eruption of Eyjafjallajokull was recorded in 1821. Then it lasted until 1823 and caused the threatening melting of the glacier. In addition, due to the high content of fluorine compounds (fluorides) in its emissions, a threat to health was created, namely the bone structure of people and livestock.