Not many people were aware of the existence of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano until its eruption made headlines across the world . It all began on April 14, 2010 when this almost unpronounceable volcano located in Iceland, started rabidly shooting smoke and steam into the air. The flow of lava caused part of a glacier to melt and as a result, forced about 800 people to evacuate from the rising floodwaters. As if this was not enough, the angry volcano also forced the cancellation of numerous flights leaving thousands of passengers worldwide stranded.
The practice of aborting several flights across northern and western Europe, stemmed from the concern of the plume of ash potentially damaging aircrafts flying within, to, and from Europe. The airspace therefore remained mainly closed up until April 20th, 2010. The main dangers were attributed to the potential for volcanic ash to melt inside the turbine engines and accumulate, potentially damaging them and even causing them to shut down. Other concerns revolved around limited visibility impeding visual navigation and the presence of microscopic debris in the ash capable of sandblasting windscreens.
The ash however did not affect only those using the highways in the sky. Indeed, the Eyjafjallajokull ashes were found to be rich in fluorine which could endanger grazing lifestock. Indeed,. according to National Geographic writer, Brian Handwerk,animals grazing on grasses covered with fluorine-filled ash, may contract a fatal bone disease known as fluorosis. The risk however is not limited to live stock alone, indeed, it appears that inhaling the ash and its minuscule particulates may lead to irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat. Very fine particles could also penetrate deep into the lungs, embedding there and then ultimately causing breathing problems, especially in those already affected by respiratory issues such as asthma or emphysema.
The nature of the Eyjafjallajokull’s past eruption was explosive. This means that contrary to effusive eruptions where the lava flows peacefully out of the volcano, hot gas and lots of magma explodes out of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano causing clouds of dust, ashes, cinders, and volcanic bombs. Experts, based on the comparison with previous eruptions, predict that the Eyjafjallajokull volcano will continue to erupt for months or even years. While the volcano is not expected to be disruptive all the time, trouble could arise if the eruption expands or worse, is joined by another eruption such as from the nearby volcano Katla.
