Eyjafjallajokull

Location

Found on the south coast of Iceland, north of Skógar and west of Mýrdalsjökull, 3 km inland of Iceland.

Icland is located on the North American Plate and the Eurasian plate, creating a divergent plate boundary, which moves away 1- 5cm a year.

History of Eruption

Eyjafjallajokull usually goes several centuries between eruptions, erupting in 920, 1612, 1821 and 2010. The ash from the 1821 eruption can still be found in the area.

Eyjafjallajökull last erupted in 1821, and the eruption continued intermittently for around two years. A major eruption then began at a nearby volcano, Katla, in 1823.

Sequence of Events

The first eruption, on 20 March 2010, came from the north-east side of the volcano, which is 1660 m high (5300 feet).

The first phase of eruption produced lava, with little explosive activity. A subsequent phase of eruption then began in a 2.5 km-wide caldera beneath the ice cap near the summit of the volcano on 14 April.

The interaction of magma with water created a plume of volcanic ash and gas over 10 km (33 000 feet) high, which spread out and was carried by winds south-eastwards towards the…