Icelandic volcano eruption worrying
March 22, 2010, Monday
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A VOLCANO erupted in southern Iceland, shooting ash and molten lava into the air and forcing the evacuation yesterday of hundreds of people from nearby villages.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano, but a state of emergency was declared and scientists feared the eruption could trigger a larger and potentially more dangerous eruption at the Katla volcano.
"This was a rather small and peaceful eruption but we are concerned that it could trigger an eruption at the nearby Katla volcano, a vicious volcano that could cause both local and global damage," said Pall Einarsson, a geophysicist at the University of Iceland's Institute of Earth Science.
Authorities evacuated 450 people between the farming village of Hvolsvollur and the fishing village of Vik, 160 kilometers southeast of the capital, Reykjavik, said Vidir Reynisson of the Icelandic Civil Protection Department.
The most immediate threat was to livestock because of the caustic gases.
"We had to leave all our animals behind," Elin Ragnarsdottir, a 47-year-old farmer, told RUV, Iceland's national broadcaster. "We got a call and a text message ... and we just went."
Saturday's eruption came weeks after a series of small earthquakes.
"The volcano has been inflating since the beginning of the year, both rising and swelling," Einarsson said. "Even though we were seeing increased seismic activity, it could have been months or years before we saw an eruption like this ... we couldn't say that there was an imminent risk for the area."
There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano, but a state of emergency was declared and scientists feared the eruption could trigger a larger and potentially more dangerous eruption at the Katla volcano.
"This was a rather small and peaceful eruption but we are concerned that it could trigger an eruption at the nearby Katla volcano, a vicious volcano that could cause both local and global damage," said Pall Einarsson, a geophysicist at the University of Iceland's Institute of Earth Science.
Authorities evacuated 450 people between the farming village of Hvolsvollur and the fishing village of Vik, 160 kilometers southeast of the capital, Reykjavik, said Vidir Reynisson of the Icelandic Civil Protection Department.
The most immediate threat was to livestock because of the caustic gases.
"We had to leave all our animals behind," Elin Ragnarsdottir, a 47-year-old farmer, told RUV, Iceland's national broadcaster. "We got a call and a text message ... and we just went."
Saturday's eruption came weeks after a series of small earthquakes.
"The volcano has been inflating since the beginning of the year, both rising and swelling," Einarsson said. "Even though we were seeing increased seismic activity, it could have been months or years before we saw an eruption like this ... we couldn't say that there was an imminent risk for the area."
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