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65-398: Eyjafjallajökull consists of a volcano completely covered by an ice cap. The retreating ice cap covered an area of 66 km (25 sq mi) in 2019, but was previously more than 80 square kilometres (30 square miles), with many outlet glaciers . The main outlet glaciers are to the north: Gígjökull, flowing into Lónið, and Steinsholtsjökull, flowing into Steinsholtslón. In 1967, there was

130-408: A VEI of 4. Larger VEI-5 eruptions are comparable to Mount St. Helens 1980 eruption . These eruptions have produced very large glacial outburst floods. Several smaller (minor) events measuring VEI -1 and below have occurred since. Katla is one of the largest volcanic sources of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) on Earth, accounting for up to 4% of total global volcanic carbon dioxide emissions. Katla

195-468: A massive landslide on the Steinsholtsjökull glacial tongue. On 16 January 1967 at 13:47:55 there was an explosion on the glacier. It can be timed because the seismometers at Kirkjubæjarklaustur monitored the movement. When about 15,000,000 cubic metres (530,000,000 cubic feet) of material hit the glacier a massive amount of air, ice, and water began to move out from under the glacier into the lagoon at

260-498: A relatively large area, and is usually located in mountain terrain. Icefields are quite similar to ice caps; however, their morphology is much more influenced by the underlying mountainous topography. The rock formations found under the icefields are variable, and rocky mountain peaks known as nunataks tend to jut out from under the surface of icefields. Examples include: Outlet glaciers are often found in valleys, and they originate from major ice sheets and ice caps. They move in

325-525: A significant albedo reduction due to the ash. Eyjafjallajökull lies 25 km ( 15 + 1 ⁄ 2  mi) west of another subglacial volcano, Katla , under the Mýrdalsjökull ice cap, which is much more active and known for its powerful subglacial eruptions and its large magma chamber. Each of the eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull in 920, 1612, and 1821–1823 has preceded an eruption of Katla. Katla did not display any unusual activity (such as expansion of

390-460: A singular direction that is determined by the underlying landscape. Outlet glaciers drain inland glaciers through gaps found in the surrounding topography. A higher amount of inland glacial melt ultimately increases the amount of outlet glacier output. Studies predict that outlet glaciers found in Greenland can increase the global sea level considerably following an increase in global temperature, and

455-504: A subsequently higher drainage output. Examples include: [REDACTED] Valley glaciers are outlet glaciers that provide drainage for ice fields, icecaps or ice sheets. The flow of these glaciers is confined by the walls of the valley they are found in; but they may also form in mountain ranges as gathering snow turns to ice. The formation of valley glaciers is restricted by formations such as terminal moraines , which are collections of till (unconsolidated rock material) deposited by

520-558: A thousand earthquakes were measured at the epicenter of the volcano. The eruption begun on 20 March 2010, about 8 km (5 mi) east of the top crater of the volcano, on Fimmvörðuháls , the high neck between Eyjafjallajökull and the neighbouring icecap, Mýrdalsjökull. This first eruption, in the form of a 300-meter-long radial fissure vent , did not occur under the glacier and was smaller in scale than had been expected by some geologists. The eruption consisted of 15 lava fountains reaching heights of up to 185 meters. The fissure opened on

585-422: A very small subglacial eruption had taken place. In June 2011, harmonic tremor was again detected at Katla volcano. A few days later, an earthquake swarm took place in the caldera, indicating magma movement inside the volcano, leading to increased fears of an eruption in the near future. On 8 and 9 July, another spike in harmonic tremors occurred, as a small eruption of Katla took place. Cracks formed on

650-520: Is a convoluted route that outputs on to a large flood plain, the Markarfljótsaurar. Before the Hringvegur (Iceland's Ring Road) was constructed in 1974, people feared traversing the plains in front of the volcano because of the frequent jökulhlaup (or glacier bursts) and the deep river crossings. Katla has been showing signs of unrest since 1999, and geologists have concerns that it might erupt in

715-454: Is a part of an ice cap or ice sheet that is characterized by upstanding ice surface located in the accumulation zone . Ice domes are nearly symmetrical, with a convex or parabolic surface shape. They tend to develop evenly over a land mass that may be either a topographic height or a depression, often reflecting the sub-glacial topography. In ice sheets, domes may reach a thickness that may exceed 3,000 meters (9,800 feet). However, in ice caps,

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780-474: Is an active volcano in southern Iceland . This volcano has been very active historically with at least twenty documented major eruptions since 2920 BC. In its recent history though, Katla has been less active as the last major eruption occurred in 1918. These eruptions have had a Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) of between 4 and 5 on a scale of 0 to 8. In comparison, the Eyjafjallajökull 2010 eruption had

845-514: Is coming close...we [Iceland] have prepared...it is high time for European governments and airline authorities all over the world to start planning for the eventual Katla eruption". Volcanologists continue to monitor Katla, aware that any eruption from Katla following an eruption from Eyjafjallajökull has historically occurred within months of an Eyjafjallajökull eruption. The Icelandic Meteorological Office updates its website with reports of quakes at both Eyjafjallajökull and Katla. On 8 July 2011 there

910-543: Is most likely to occur in the months June to September, and be associated with a jökulhlaup flowing from Kotlujökull an outlet glacier to the south-east, over Mýrdalssandur to the sea where it could affect the town of Vík í Mýrdal. The 1755 and 1918 eruptions show that lightning and tephra fall are perceived as dangerous by humans in the immediate vicinity of a large eruption and have influenced jökulhlaup evacuation planning. Geothermal jökulhlaups can be large enough to damage property and infrastructure. Because of such risks

975-462: Is one of the largest volcanoes in Iceland . It is situated to the north of Vík í Mýrdal and to the east of the smaller glacier Eyjafjallajökull . Its peak reaches 1,512 metres (4,961 ft) and is partially covered by the Mýrdalsjökull glacier. The system has an area of 595 km (230 sq mi). The Eldgjá canyon is part of the same volcanic system, and extends as a fissure swarm to

1040-554: Is ten to a hundred times the size of most jökulhlaups. Apart from the 1755 and 1918 eruptions already mentioned in this regard, both of which like the majority of large floods drained onto the Mýrdalssandur plain to the volcanoes south-east, an eruption in 822 drained from the north-east aspect of the caldera down the Markarfljót river flood plain to the mountain's south-west covering an area of 600 km (230 sq mi). This

1105-509: Is the name of the southern side of the volcanic massif together with the small mountains which form the foot of the volcano. The word jökull [ˈjœːkʏtl̥] , meaning glacier or ice cap, is a cognate with the Middle English word ikil surviving in the -icle of English icicle . The name Eyjafjöll is made up of the words eyja [ˈeiːja] (genitive plural of ey , meaning eyot or island ), and

1170-526: Is to be found all over the south of Iceland. It is dark grey in colour, small-grained and dacitic intermediate rock containing about 28–40% silicon dioxide . On 26 February 2010, unusual seismic activity along with rapid expansion of the Earth's crust was registered by the Icelandic Meteorological Office . This gave geophysicists evidence that magma was pouring from underneath the crust into

1235-467: Is to gain a better understanding of glaciated landscapes and the way they are shaped. Types of glaciers can range from massive ice sheets , such as the Greenland ice sheet , to small cirque glaciers found perched on mountain tops. Glaciers can be grouped into two main categories: Ice sheets and ice caps cover the largest areas of land in comparison to other glaciers, and their ice is unconstrained by

1300-621: The Last Glacial Maximum . An ice cap can be defined as a dome-shaped mass of ice that exhibits a radial flow. They are often easily confused with ice sheets, but these ice structures are smaller than 50,000 km , and obscure the entirety of the topography they span. They mainly form in polar and sub-polar regions with particularly high elevation but flat ground. Ice caps can be round, circular, or irregular in shape. Ice caps often gradually merge into ice sheets making them difficult to track and document. Examples include: An ice dome

1365-472: The Mýrdalsjökull glacier over the volcano; these events are dubbed Kötluhlaup (or "Katla's eruption" ). The folktale recorded by Jón Árnason in 1862 probably dates much older since it is set in the time of the Þykkvabæjarklaustur  [ is ] , the Catholic monastery abolished c. 1550. The short folktale entitled "Katla eða Kötlugjá" can be summarized as follows: In the pre-Reformation days when

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1430-474: The magma chamber of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano and that pressure stemming from the process caused the huge crustal displacement at Þorvaldseyri [ˈθɔrval(t)sˌeiːrɪ] farm. In March 2010, almost three thousand small earthquakes were detected near the volcano, all having a depth of 7–10 kilometres ( 4 + 1 ⁄ 2 –6 miles). The seismic activity continued to increase and from 3–5 March, over

1495-423: The Þykkvibær monastery was installed with an abbot, they had a cranky housekeeper there named Katla, well versed in (ancient) magic ( fjölkynngi ), instilling fear in others. She owned a magical pair of breeches ( brók , 'trousers'), which allowed its wearer to run endlessly without fatigue, but herself reserved its use for an emergency. One day in autumn, the abbot's shepherd Barði has trouble rounding up

1560-430: The "arteries" of an ice sheet. Ice from continental sheets is drained into the ocean by a complex network of ice streams, and their activity is greatly affected by oceanic and atmospheric processes. They feature a higher velocity in the centre of the stream, and are bounded by slow-moving ice on either side. Periods of greater ice stream flow result in more ice transfer from ice sheets to the ocean, raising sea level. At

1625-516: The Eyjafjöll". A literal part-by-part translation of Eyjafjallajökull would thus be "Islands' Mountains' glacier". Hence the southern slopes of the mountain Eyjafjöll result in the sea side strip of land beyond being called Undir Eyjafjöllum . The stratovolcano , whose vents follow an east–west trend, is composed of basalt to andesite lavas . Most of its historical eruptions have been explosive . However, fissure vents occur on both (mainly

1690-543: The closure of airspace over many parts of Europe. The eruptions also created electrical storms . The London Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre declared the eruption to have stopped on the 23rd of May 2010, but stated that they were continuing to monitor the volcano. As a direct result of this disruption being viewed by some as excessive, new standards for the closure of airspace as a result of air contamination by dust/ash were agreed internationally. The volcano continued to have several earthquakes daily, with volcanologists watching

1755-608: The combined average discharge of the Amazon , Mississippi , Nile , and Yangtze rivers (about 266,000 m /s (9.4 million cu ft/sec)). The name Katla derives from the word ketill (" kettle "), referring to the form of the volcano. Katla is also used as a female first name. At least twenty-eight eruptions with a known VEI have been recorded for Katla since 2920 BC. Only two people are known to have died because of events directly associated with one of these eruptions in 1755. The 1918 eruption of Katla started on

1820-489: The corresponding DLC is owned, the volcano is a possible natural wonder that can spawn in Sid Meier's Civilization VI . On Steam , the game has a related achievement that references the ensuing aviation shutdown due to the 2010 eruptions. Outlet glacier Glacier morphology , or the form a glacier takes, is influenced by temperature , precipitation , topography , and other factors. The goal of glacial morphology

1885-511: The crust or seismic activity) during the 2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull, though geologists have been concerned about the general instability of Katla since 1999. Some geophysicists in Iceland believe that the Eyjafjallajökull eruption may trigger an eruption of Katla, which would cause major flooding due to melting of glacial ice and send up massive plumes of ash. On 20 April 2010, Icelandic President Ólafur Grímsson said "the time for Katla to erupt

1950-524: The cycle and seismic activity in the region reduced again. No unrest was measured along these earthquakes. The geothermal has decreased in the following week and is now negligible. An update written at 11 Sep 16:38 GMT reported: Today, shortly before 14:00, a small earthquake swarm began in Mýrdalsjökull. The largest earthquakes of the swarm were of magnitude 3.3 and 3.0 at 16:12 and 15:57. More than 10 smaller earthquakes were detected in

2015-413: The eruption contained a large fraction of fluoride , which in high doses may damage the bone structure of cattle, horses, sheep and humans. The eruption also caused some small and medium glacier runs ( jökulhlaups ) and flooding in nearby rivers Markarfljót and Holtsá [ˈhɔl̥(t)sˌauː] . The eruptive phase started on 19 and 20 December 1821 by a series of explosive eruptions and continued over

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2080-481: The eventual Katla eruption". Increased earthquake activity had been noticed on Katla since the eruption at Eyjafjallajökull, but no other signs of an imminent eruption were observed. These quakes are located mainly on the northwestern rim of the caldera. On 9 October 2010, a sudden rise in harmonic tremor was observed in the stations around Katla, but although a sign of a possible impending eruption, none occurred. In 2011, geologic activity led many to speculate that

2145-531: The far north of the country, in Eyjafjörður , and in the southwest, on the peninsula of Seltjarnarnes near Reykjavík . The period from August to December 1822 seemed quieter, but farmers attributed the death of cattle and sheep in the Eyjafjörður area to poisoning from this eruption, which modern analysis identifies as fluoride poisoning . Some small glacier runs occurred in the river Holtsá. A bigger one flooded

2210-543: The foot of the glacier. The mountain itself, a stratovolcano , stands 1,651 metres (5,417 ft) at its highest point, and has a crater three to four kilometres (2 to 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 miles) in diameter, open to the north. The crater rim has three main peaks (clockwise from the north-east): Guðnasteinn ( [ˈkvʏðnaˌsteitn̥] ), 1,500 m (4,900 ft); Hámundur ( [ˈhauːˌmʏntʏr̥] ), 1,651 m (5,417 ft); and Goðasteinn ( [ˈkɔːðaˌsteitn̥] ), 1,497 m (4,911 ft). The south face of

2275-509: The freshwater ice found on Earth, and form as layers of snowfall accumulate and slowly start to compact into ice. There are only two ice sheets present on Earth today: the Antarctic ice sheet and the Greenland ice sheet . Although only a tenth of modern Earth is covered by ice sheets, the Pleistocene epoch was characterized by ice sheets that covered a third of the planet. This was also known as

2340-473: The glacier, as well as a cauldron. Icelandic media reported a small subglacial eruption might have started. On the morning of 9 July, a glacier flood was reported in the river Múlakvísl, and also later in the river Skálm. The bridge across Múlakvísl was destroyed as well as other parts of the road, Route 1 , on the Icelandic ring road. Helicopter pilots flying over the glacier also reported cracks in

2405-416: The glacier. Scientists monitoring the activity said speculation that it was caused by a "very small" subglacial eruption lacked confirmation by visual or seismic evidence. Tremors were detected under Katla in late August 2016. A "Specialist Description" describing the activity on 29 August 2016 noted that there was: ... a seismic swarm in Mýrdalsjökull on the 29th of August with two events in

2470-509: The ice above a lake of melt water. Some eruptions could be secondary to the removal of overpressure by a jökulhlaup. There are currently at least 20 ice cauldrons known related to the geothermal areas within the caldera. These are often manifest as depressions in the ice cap rather than full thickness to the underlying rock cauldrons and have variable activity. Geothermal waters with a high volcanic mineral and gas content are produced and can result in both gas and water pollution. The area of

2535-647: The late afternoon of the 12 October 1918 and lasted for 24 days, with the first day having the most dangerous events, including an extremely large flood with peak flow of 300,000 m /s (11,000,000 cu ft/s). It has been graded a VEI 4 level eruption. The 1918 eruption resulted in extending the southern coast by 4 km (2.5 mi) due to laharic flood deposits . Most of these eruptions resulted in glacial floods ( jökulhlaups ). Some Mýrdalsjökull jökulhlaups have been associated with catastrophic flooding which results from peak discharges of more than 100,000 m /s (3,500,000 cu ft/s), which

2600-425: The margin between glacial ice and water, ice calving takes place as glaciers begin to fracture, and icebergs break off from the large masses of ice. Iceberg calving is a major contributor to sea level rise , but the ocean is not the only place that can experience ice calving. Calving can also take place in lakes, fjords , and continental ice cliffs. An icefield is an example of glacier structure that covers

2665-541: The mountain was once part of Iceland's coastline , from which, over thousands of years, the sea has retreated some 5 km (3 mi). The former coastline now consists of sheer cliffs with many waterfalls , of which the best known is Skógafoss . In strong winds, the water of the smaller falls can even be blown up the mountain. The area between the mountain and the present coast is a relatively flat strand, 2–5 km (1–3 mi) wide. The name means " glacier of Eyjafjöll" (or more properly here " ice cap "). Eyjafjöll

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2730-488: The near future. The volcanoes present dormancy is among the longest in its known history. Particularly, monitoring has been intensified following the March 2010 eruptions of a smaller neighbouring volcano, the Eyjafjallajökull glacier. The eruption of this nearby long-dormant volcano in March and April 2010 prompted fears among some geophysicists that it might trigger an eruption at the larger and more dangerous Katla. In

2795-408: The next several days. The sources describe heavy ash fall in the area around the volcano, especially to the south and west. After that event the sequence of eruptions continued on a more subdued level until June 1822. From the end of June until the beginning of August 1822, another sequence of explosive eruptions followed. The eruption columns were shot to considerable heights, with ashfall in both

2860-416: The north side of Fimmvörðuháls, directly across the popular hiking trail between Skógar, south of the pass, and Þórsmörk , immediately to the north. On 14 April 2010 Eyjafjallajökull resumed erupting after a brief pause, this time from the top crater in the centre of the glacier, causing jökulhlaup ( meltwater floods) to rush down the nearby rivers, and requiring 800 people to be evacuated. This eruption

2925-538: The north-east. The lavas from this eruption in 939 to 940 almost reach the south eastern coast, although are partially buried. The caldera of the Katla volcano has a diameter of 10 km (6 mi) and is covered with 200–700 metres (660–2,300 ft) of ice. The volcano normally erupts every 40–80 years. The flood discharge at the peak of an eruption in 1755 has been estimated at 200,000–400,000  m /s (7.1–14.1 million  cu ft/sec ), comparable to

2990-418: The northern Katla caldera rim measured at magnitude 4.5. These are the biggest earthquakes in Katla volcano since 1977. Earthquake eruption checks confirmed that most earthquakes occurred between 0:40 and 1:50 PM. The big earthquakes were about thirty seconds apart at 1:47. They were followed by more than 50 aftershocks until 15:12 PM, when there was an earthquake of magnitude 3.3 and then

3055-417: The past 1,000 years, all three known eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull have triggered subsequent Katla eruptions. Following the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruptions, on 20 April 2010 Icelandic President Ólafur Grímsson said "the time for Katla to erupt is coming close ... we [Iceland] have prepared ... it is high time for European governments and airline authorities all over Europe and the world to start planning for

3120-474: The plains near the river Markarfljót. (The sources do not indicate the exact date.). In 1823, some men went hiking up on Eyjafjallajökull to inspect the craters . They discovered a fissure vent near the summit caldera a bit to the west of Guðnasteinn . In early 1823, the nearby volcano Katla under the Mýrdalsjökull ice cap erupted and at the same time steam columns were seen on the summit of Eyjafjallajökull. The ash of Eyjafjallajökull's 1821 eruptions

3185-409: The plural word fjöll [ˈfjœtl̥] , meaning fells or mountains , and together literally means: "the mountains of the islands". The name probably refers to the close by archipelago of Vestmannaeyjar . The word fjalla [ˈfjatla] is the genitive plural of fjöll , and so Eyjafjalla [ˈeiːjaˌfjatla] is the genitive form of Eyjafjöll and means: "of

3250-438: The sheep before master and the housekeep return from a banquet, and he borrows the breeches to retrieve the stray. Katla discovers the transgression and ambushes him, drowning him in a vat of sour whey ( sýru ker ). But as winter wore on, the whey began to dwindle and Katla was heard muttering "Barði will soon appear". Realizing the discovery of her crime and punishment was imminent, she put on her breeches and disappeared to

3315-497: The swarm. All of the earthquakes were shallow and located in the caldera of Katla volcano. It is not unusual for seismic swarms of this type to occur in this area. In February 2017, seismic activity at the volcano continued. As well as eruptions Katla is host to geothermal systems and these contribute to many of the smaller jökulhlaups from the mountain. Jökulhlaup triggering at Mýrdalsjökull may result from geothermal processes, and ice dams and their sudden removal by floating of

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3380-411: The terminus of the glacier. Ice-free exposed bedrock and slopes often surround valley glaciers, providing a route for snow and ice to accumulate on the glacier via avalanches . Examples include: Valley head glaciers are types of valley glaciers that are only limited to the valley head . An example of this type of valley glacier is Bægisárjökull , found in Iceland, which does not markedly extend into

3445-469: The thickness of the dome is much smaller, measuring roughly up to several hundred metres in comparison. In glaciated islands, ice domes are usually the highest point of the ice cap. An example of an ice dome is Kupol Vostok Pervyy in Alger Island , Franz Josef Land , Russia . Ice streams rapidly channel ice flow out to the sea, ocean, or an ice shelf. For this reason, they are commonly referred to as

3510-614: The topographic structure; it is turned to ice as more snow falls and is subsequently compressed. When the glacier melts, a cirque structure is left in its place. Examples include: A hanging glacier appears in a hanging valley, and has the potential to break off from the side of the mountain it is attached to. As bits and pieces of hanging glaciers break off and begin to fall, avalanches can be triggered. Examples include: [REDACTED] Media related to Glacial geomorphology at Wikimedia Commons Katla volcano Katla ( Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈkʰahtla] )

3575-419: The travel disruptions following the 2010 eruption. Emo band The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die released a song on their 2010 EP Formlessness called "Eyjafjallajokull Dance." An Operator in the mobile game Arknights is named after it. In the season 1 episode 8 of Sense8 , Will wants to see "the volcano no one can pronounce the name of", and Riley responds with it. If

3640-449: The underlying topography. They are the largest glacial ice formations and hold the vast majority of the world's fresh water. Ice sheets are the largest form of glacial formation. They are continent-sized ice masses that span areas over 50,000 square kilometers (19,000 square miles). They are dome-shaped and, like ice caps, exhibit radial flow. As ice sheets expand over the ocean, they become ice shelves . Ice sheets contain 99% of all

3705-501: The valley below it. True fjords are formed when valley glaciers retreat and seawater fills the now empty valley. They can be found in mountainous, glaciation-affected terrain. Examples include: [REDACTED] Piedmont glaciers are a sub-type of valley glaciers which have flowed out onto lowland plains, where they spread out into a fan-like shape. Examples include: [REDACTED] Cirque glaciers are glaciers that appear in bowl-shaped valley hollows. Snow easily settles in

3770-449: The volcano closely. As of August 2010, Eyjafjallajökull was considered dormant. Infrasound sensors have been installed around Eyjafjallajökull to monitor for future eruptions. In total, the 2010 eruptions generated about 0.27 cubic km (270,000,000 cubic metres) of tephra, causing ash fallout over central southern Iceland and parts of continental Europe. Nearby areas saw an ash layer of up to several centimeters, and surrounding glaciers saw

3835-434: The volcano contributes to the most serious natural hazard area of Iceland. The most likely large eruption had in 2019 a 89% probability of occurring within 30 years and would likely be associated with tephra production of about 1.5 km (0.36 cu mi) which can be compared with the 0.25 km (0.060 cu mi) that disrupted air travel from the second phase of the 2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull . It

3900-427: The volcano is intensively monitored. The Icelandic Meteorological Office updates its website with reports of quakes both at Eyjafjallajökull and Katla. Continuous monitoring includes for seismic flood tremor, water gauges and water conductivity given the flood risk. The ice cauldrons of Mýrdalsjökull are also monitored. In folklore, the witch named Katla is held responsible for causing the jökulhlaup (outburst) of

3965-621: The west) sides of the volcano. The volcano is 800,000 years old. The volcano is fed by a magma chamber under the mountain, which in turn derives from the tectonic divergence of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge . It is part of a chain of volcanoes stretching across Iceland. Its nearest active neighbours are Katla , to the northeast, and Eldfell , on Heimaey , to the southwest. The volcano is thought to be related to Katla geologically, in that eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull have generally been followed by eruptions of Katla. Eyjafjallajökull erupted in

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4030-517: The years 920, 1612, 1821, and 2010. The Skerin Ridge eruption in 920 was a VEI 3 radial fissure eruption while the subsequent 1612 and 1821 eruptions were VEI 2 small summit eruptions. In the case of the 1821 eruption, a short explosive phase in December 1821 was followed by a year of intermittent explosive to effusive activity. Some damage was caused by a minor eruption in 1821. Notably, the ash released from

4095-529: Was a jökulhlaup that destroyed a bridge on the Ring Road and caused cracks to appear on Katla's glacier. Icelandic Post issued three special stamps in 2010 for the eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano. All stamps contain real volcanic ash which fell on 17 April 2010. The volcano was featured in the 2013 movie The Secret Life of Walter Mitty , where Walter had to flee from an eruption after pursuing photographer Sean O'Connell to Iceland. Eyjafjallajökull

4160-740: Was explosive, due to meltwater getting into the volcanic vent. It was estimated to be ten to twenty times larger than the previous one in Fimmvörðuháls . Pulsating explosive activity on 17 April 2010 was later understood to be due to periodic clogging/plugging of the conduit associated with the rise and degassing of more magma. This second eruption threw volcanic ash several kilometres up in the atmosphere, which led to air travel disruption in northwest Europe for six days from 15 to 21 April 2010. This disruption affected over 20 countries and as many as 10 million air travelers. The volcano erupted again in May 2010, causing

4225-689: Was used in Season 5 Episode 6 of Madam Secretary which aired on 11 November 2018. It was used as the basis of the airport being closed in Ireland trapping Secretary of State Elizabeth McCord and her delegation and the Turkish foreign minister and his delegation. It is mentioned in the JJ DOOM song, "Guv'nor". Valencian singer-songwriter Pau Alabajos released a song called "Eyjafjallajökull" on his 2011 album "Una Amable, una Trista, una Petita Pàtria," drawing imagery from

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