It Makes You Wonder…
…if there’s something going on, geologically, with all these earthquakes lately. And now, a volcanic eruption in Iceland to add to the list:
Scientists are flying over southern Iceland to evaluate whether it’s safe for people to return to their homes after a volcanic eruption. Saturday night’s eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano — which is located near a glacier of the same name — shot ash and molten lava into the air and forced nearly 500 people to evacuate their homes.
The Telegraph link above has a gallery with some great pictures of the volcano and surrounding area (be sure to check out the volcanic smoke ring in image #9). Oddly enough, I just made a reservation for a hike near that area in July, and decided against the two day extension that would have taken us over the mountain pass east of the glacier (and quite near the volcano, as I understand it). Lucky choice, as it turned out.
On the other hand, Iceland is rich in geological “Oh crap!” possibilities, and just about everything we plan to see there is in some manner susceptible to sudden volcanic or tectonic cataclysm. Which of course makes it all the more enticing.
