Iceland’s well known Eyjafjallajokull Volcano wasn’t the one to erupt yesterday. Instead, it was another very active Icelandic volcano called Grimsvotn. The volcano erupted just after 6pm local time in Iceland. Perhaps a doomsday false start? Within an hour of the eruption, ash was reported up to 12 miles high. The main airport in Iceland, Keflavik International Airport (KEF), is closed, along with the smaller Reykjavik Airport (RKV), and heavy ashfall has been reported in some areas. According to Isavia, the company that runs the airports, they will be closed until at least Monday, 12 noon, local time.
This is the first time that Grimsvotn has erupted since 2004, and it’s largest eruption in 100 years. When Eyjafjallajokull Volcano erupted in April, it’s estimated that 10 million travelers were affected. However, scientists do not expect Grimsvotn’s to have as wide an effect. The ash it is spewing is thicker and heavier, causing it to fall back to earth faster than the ash from Eyjafjallajokull back in April.
However, a 120 mile airspace around the volcano has been closed to flights. Trans-Atlantic flights, including Air Force One, which is scheduled to take President Obama to Ireland today, have been warned to avoid the area.
Britain’s Meteorological Office said the ash plume would spread northeast through the next day, but may slowly reach south and east, which has more air traffic.
Here’s a YouTube video posted by RT:
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