Eyjafjallajökull facts for kids
Eyjafjallajökull (pronounce: "Ei-ya-fyat-LA-yer-kitle) is a volcano in Iceland. The name means "island-mountains glacier".
The south end of the mountain was once part of the coastline of the Atlantic ocean. The sea gradually moved about 5km south. Now there are beautiful steep cliffs and waterfalls.
The volcano erupted several times in 1821 and 1822. Some cattle and sheep died, presumably because of fluoride poisoning.
The 2010 eruption
At Christmas 2009 the volcano started to show signs of being active again. On 27 March 2010 it started to erupt. On 14 April 2010 Eyjafjallajökull started to erupt heavily from the top crater in the bottom left of the glacier. This made meltwater floods to rush down the nearby rivers. Many people had to be evacuated. Volcanic ash was thrown several kilometres into the atmosphere. The dust blow over northwest Europe on the 15th and 16th April 2010. It became very dangerous for aeroplanes to fly and so all commercial flights were stopped in most parts of northern Europe. This caused chaos for travellers, many of whom were trying to return home after their Easter vacation. The chaos continued for many days.
Related pages
Images for kids
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North view of (from left to right) Mýrdalsjökull, Fimmvörðuháls and Eyjafjallajökull on 4 April 2010, taken from an altitude of 10,000 metres (32,800 ft)
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A photo of Eyjafjallajökull taken in August 2009
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The eruption on 27 March 2010
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The crater three years post eruption in March 2013
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Eyjafjallajökull seen from the sea in summer 2014.
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Cross section through Eyjafjöll and Katla
