The Grimsvotn volcano eruption in Iceland causes flight delays as the ash cloud spreads (20Pics)
The Grimsvotn volcano, which lies beneath the ice of the uninhabited Vatnajokull
glacier in southeast Iceland, began erupting on Saturday May 21 for the first time
since 2004. It was the volcano's largest eruption in 100 years
The ash from Grimsvotn - about 120 miles (200 kilometres) east of the capital,
Reykjavik - turned the sky black and rained down on nearby buildings, cars and fields
Civil protection workers helped farmers get their animals into shelters and urged
residents to wear masks and stay indoors
The UK's Meteorological Office, which runs Europe's Volcanic Ash Advisory
Centre, said the plume from the volcano would spread largely northeast, but
some ash would creep south and east, toward the crowded skies over northern
Europe. Where it goes after that depends on the intensity of the eruption
and weather patterns
Scientists said the eruption won't have the global impact of last year's eruption
some 80 miles (130 kilometres) away at the Eyjafjallajokull volcano, which
left 10 million travellers stranded around the world
Icelandic air traffic control operator ISAVIA established a 120 nautical mile
(220 kilometre) no-fly zone around the volcano, closed Keflavik airport, the
country's main hub, and cancelled all domestic flights
Keflavik airport has had to cancel at least 40 international flights
University of Iceland geophysicist Magnus Tumi Gudmundsson said the
Grimsvotn eruption was "much bigger and more intensive" than last year's
eruption and 10 times as powerful as Grimsvotn's last explosion in 2004
"There is a very large area in southeast Iceland where there is almost total
darkness and heavy fall of ash," he said. "But it is not spreading nearly as
much. The winds are not as strong as they were (last year)," said University
of Iceland geophysicist Magnus Tumi Gudmundsson
Tourists leave the Islandia Hotel in Nupur as ash continues to fall
Grimsvotn's eruption in 2004 lasted for several days and briefly disrupted
international flights. The volcano also erupted in 1998, 1996 and 1993
Sparsely populated Iceland is one of the world's most geologically unstable
countries, sitting astride the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, where the Eurasian and
North American continental plates rub up against one another
Frequent earthquakes push magma from deep underground toward the surface,
and volcanic eruptions are common. The ground is covered by hardened black
lava from past eruptions and steam belches from the earth - harnessed by
Icelanders for geothermal power
An ash sample awaits examination at the command centre in
Kirkjubaejarklaustur as authorities prepare to deal with the effects of the eruption
Footprints are seen on a surface of ash outside a gas station in
Kirkjubaejarklaustur, Reykjavik
Volcanic eruptions in Iceland often spark flash flooding from melting glacier
ice but rarely cause deaths. Usually they only have a local impact, but
when they do draw the world's attention, it's in a spectacular way
Geophysicist Magnus Tumi Gudmundsson said the ash from the Grimsvotn
eruption is coarser than in last year's eruption, falling to the ground more quickly
A farmer prepares to herd the farm's sheep indoors to shelter from the ash
fallout in Mulakot
A dead bird lies on Higway One near the town of Kirkjubaejarklaustur in southeast Iceland
A smoke plumes from the Grimsvotn volcano
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