Eyjafjallajökull

Eyjafjallajökull (pronounced: "Ei-ya-fyat-LA-yer-kitle) is a volcano in Iceland. The name means "island-mountains glacier".

Eyjafjallajökull in March 2006, viewed from a recreation area on the Sólheimajökull, a glacier on the Katla volcano

The south end of the mountain was once part of the coastline of the Atlantic Ocean. The sea gradually moved about 5km south. Now there are beautiful cliffs and waterfalls.

The volcano erupted several times in 1821 and 1822. Some cattle and sheep died, presumably because of fluoride poisoning.

The 2010 eruption

At Christmas 2009 the volcano started to show signs of being active again. On 27 March 2010, it started to erupt. On 14 April 2010, Eyjafjallajökull started to erupt heavily from the top crater in the bottom left of the glacier. This made meltwater floods rush down the nearby rivers. Many people had to be evacuated. Volcanic ash was thrown several kilometres into the atmosphere. The dust blew over northwest Europe on the 15th and 16th April 2010. It became very dangerous for aeroplanes to fly and so all commercial flights were stopped in most parts of northern Europe. This caused chaos for travellers, many of whom were trying to return home after their Easter vacation. The chaos continued for many days.

In Popular Culture

The volcano was featured in 2013's The Secret Life of Walter Mitty in a scene where Walter had to run from an eruption after pursuing Sean O'Connell to Iceland.

Related pages

• Glacier
• Volcano