Iceland: Volcanic Eruption caused closure of Airspace

Iceland: Volcanic Eruption caused closure of Airspace

On Sunday, a spokeswoman for Keflavik International Airport said a volcanic eruption in Iceland forced the closure of airspace over and around the country’s main airport.

"The airport itself is not closed, but no planes will be taking off or landing," Hjordis Gudmunsdottir told CNN, saying officials would reassess the situation later on Sunday.

According to the Icelandic Meterological Office, the Grimsvotn volcano under the Vatnajokull erupted Saturday.
CNN affiliate TV2 Iceland said that a dark cloud of smoke rose from the glacier, and scientists flew over the scene to evaluate the event.
The last eruption of the volcano was in 2004 reported by TV2 Iceland.

On 2010, another Icelandic eruption, of the volcano Eyjafjallajokull, attracted worldwide attention after aits ash cloud disrupted air travel across Europe.

Sitrun Kapitola, manager of the Islandia Hotel Nupar, which is close to Saturday's eruption, said she could see a cloud of smoke over the mountains, and ash was falling around the hotel. Kapitola said police were telling her and others that there was no need to evacuate and there was nothing to fear.

"We see it very well," she said.

Tourists at the hotel were excited to see the eruption, watching the events unfold while eating dinner, she said.

"It happens every 10 years," she said. "It mostly produces water."

Grimsvotn is Iceland's most frequently active volcano. In 1783, a 16.7-mile fissure system from the volcano produced the world's largest known historical lava flow over a seven-month period, damaging crops and livestock, according to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. A resulting famine resulted in the loss of one-fifth of Iceland's population, according to the Smithsonian website.

"It's nothing compared to the other one," she added, referring to last year's dramatic eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull.

Posted by M.Ferrer on Monday May 23 2011, 2:15 AM EST. Ref: CNN. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0