Geosphere Journal Entry
Geosphere Journal Entry
Volcanic Ash Stops Air Traffic Again (May 13, 2010)
Satellite view of huge ash plume drifting over the Atlantic Ocean from Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano. NASA.
A huge plume of ash drifting out over the Atlantic Ocean from Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano once again shut down air traffic to and from Europe. The massive ash cloud stretched across hundreds of miles from Greenland to Portugal. Volcanic ash is a dangerous threat to jet engines. Tiny silicate particles in the ash can clog engines and cause them to stall.
The volcano erupted in March for the first time in nearly 200 years. That eruption spewed lava through vents on the eastern side of the volcano. More recently, hot magma found a new escape route directly below glacial ice. The new eruption melted huge amounts of ice, forcing hundreds of people to flee their homes and triggering floods in some areas.
Iceland lies above a volcanic hotspot found along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge running the length of the Atlantic Ocean. In the Northern Hemisphere, the ridge marks a divergent tectonic plate boundary between the North American plate and the Eurasian plate. Magma bubbles up on the ocean floor along the plate boundary, pushing the two plates apart. The nation is the site of many active volcanoes, both on land and submerged offshore.
