Volcanoes In Iceland

After the ash, Iceland volcano rakes in tourism cash

EYJAFJALLAJOEKULL, Iceland — Iceland's volcanoes gained notoriety last year for their ash-spewing ability to ground airlines and make a mess. But they also pay their dues, drawing tourists eager to see the source of the chaos.

"People are really interested. They want to stand in the crater of the volcano that made them lose their flight," laughs Arsaell Hauksson, in his 30s. He runs a campground at the base of the Eyjafjallajoekull glacier that encompasses the notorious Eyjafjoell volcano, whose eruption in April 2010 stranded more than eight million travellers.

The possibility of scrambling up an active volcano -- Iceland has around 130 of them -- has long been a tourist magnet for the North Atlantic island state. But last year's Eyjafjoell eruption offered unbeatable advertising.

"We all know someone who was affected... This is the eruption people will be talking about for years to come," said Hauksson. His own business is bustling despite an icy start to the summer.

Things weren't quite so rosy when the peak began erupting last year, spewing nine kilometres (5.5 miles) into the sky.

By Icelandic standards, Eyjafjoell was puny -- the Grimsvoetn volcano which erupted this May spat out more ash in one day than Eyjafjoell did in 40. But strong winds pushed Eyjafjoell's output towards Europe and caused the biggest air space shutdown since World War II.

The eruption dealt a harsh blow to Iceland's vital tourism industry.

"I had my best booking ever for May last year ... and nobody showed because of the ash," laments Unnar Gardarsson. The 49-year-old heads Oebyggdaferdir, or Ice Safari, which for the last five years has offered tours of Iceland's desolate highlands.

Sixteen months later, his mood has changed as he stands gratefully at the edge of Eyjafjoell's still fuming crater: the eruption is paying off.

"It has done a lot to let people know Iceland is on the map. And it has been really good for my business," he says.

"Eyjafjallajoekull was always very beautiful and now it's famous!"

Gardarsson began offering trips up the glacier in May this year and has already taken some 50 tourists up to the crater, each dishing out a whopping 39,000 Icelandic kronur (250 euros, $350) for the experience.

-- Eruption put Iceland on tourism map --

To reach the top, Gardarsson leads small groups on quad bikes up the rugged landscape, which starts with spongy yellow-green moss broken by jagged black lava rock and bubbling streams.

Locals Believe Iceland's Katla Volcano Will Erupt In Five Days ...

Katla’s last eruption started in 1821, along side an eruption at Eyjafjallajokull. Katla has a pattern of erupting in sequence with Eyjafjallajokull. However, Katla is different. It is much larger and it will make the present eruptions in Iceland look mild in comparison. Scientists say that although Eyjafjallajokull eruptions are less frequent, Katla eruptions are significantly worse and larger. Historically, Katla has been shown to wake up whenever Eyjafjallajokull does, and sometimes on its own. This is why it is believed that Katla will erupt and it will be soon. Due to the up tick in activity, the locals believe that Katla will erupt in approximately 7 days. LINK

Even though the activity at Katla had increased 200% in 48 hours, I’m not sure why the locals believe it will erupt so quickly. It could erupt that fast, however, there is no historic evidence that such an eruption will occur with such speed. No one disagrees that Evjafjallajokull volcanic eruptions often precedes Katla eruptions, however the time frame is usually within a year or two:

Experts have cautioned that eruptions near Eyjafjallajokull tend to set off the larger Katla volcano, which is considered one of the most dangerous volcanos in Iceland, and which last erupted in 1918.

So far there is no sign of activity at Katla, but geologists point out that an eruption there often follows a year or two after the smaller blasts at Eyjafjallajokull. LINK

We also have to factor in that we are living in times of a marked increased in volcanic and earthquake activity, and while the U.S.G.S. is stating that earthquake activity is not increasing, I disagree. In the past few years, we have witnessed volcanic activity that has not been the widely publicized and seems to be unique to what I believe is a substantial increase in volcanic as well as earthquake activity:

Guatemala City, Jan 7, 2005 (EFE via COMTEX)

Guatemalan authorities on Friday declared an alert after three volcanoes erupted within just days of each other.

National disaster office spokesman Hugo Hernandez told EFE that the preventive alert consists of keeping watch on the Fuego, Santiaguito and Pacaya volcanoes, but so far no order has been issued to evacuate residents from nearby areas.

All three volcanoes have erupted in the past and caused widespread destruction.

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