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News from the GeoparkIcelandic Volcano is Aspiring Geopark19 Apr 2010Most of Europe has recently been affected by the dramatic events at the volcanic eruption in southern Iceland causing un-precedented travel disruptions across the globe. The Eyjafjallajokull, (pronounced "Aiya-fatla-yurkult") volcanic eruption is taking place in an area of Iceland that is applying to UNESCO for Global Geopark status similar to the English Riviera Global Geopark. Geopark status is awarded to areas with outstanding geological, historical and cultural heritage as well as the strong potential to promote Earth Science through education. Iceland is situated on the Mid-Atlanic Ridge between the boundaries of the Eurasian and North American Continental Plates. The Earth's crust is made up of a number of tectonic plates and natural disasters, such as volcanoes and earthquakes, occur where there is movement between these different plates. The actual volcanic eruption began on March 20th 2010 and was on a relatively small scale. However, due to the location of the volcano and the direction of prevailing winds, the eruption caused far more disruption than could originally have been predicted. Eyjafjallajokull is situated underneath an ice-cap which has led to vast quantities of ash being produced and forced high into the atmosphere and the busy air space. A reaction between the molten magma and the glacial ice has caused the magma to cool very quickly upon exposure and then break into tiny fragments of rock to produce volcanic ash clouds. The huge steam plumes have also been produced when the hot lava comes into contact with the freezing ice and water. This steam is then pushing the ash clouds high up into the sky where they are being spread across much of Northern Europe by the prevailing winds. The problem is also being intensified by small earthquakes which are preventing solidified lava from isolating the volcanic vent from the glacial ice and water and therefore decreasing the amount of steam being produced. At present, it is impossible to predict when the eruptions will stop as volcanic eruptions can continue for days, weeks or even months. More information about the Icelandic volcano can be found by visiting the web-links below: http://eldgos.mila.is/eyjafjallajokull-fra-valahnjuk |