Iceland's
volcano: 9 Interesting facts
As the eruption of
Eyjafjallajökull continues to cause travel chaos around the world, a look at
some of the weirder stories to come out of the disaster
The
closure of the European flightzone thanks to a volcanic eruption in Iceland looks set to continue well into this week, leaving vast
numbers of travellers stranded around the world. But beyond the packed airport
halls and grounded planes, the eruption has affected the world in many unusual
ways. Here, a list of strange facts surrounding the eruption of
Eyjafjallajökull:
The volcano looks like Edvard Munch's "The Scream"
Radar images of the volcano's crater appear to resemble a "nightmarish face...reminiscent of Edvard Munch's painting The Scream," reports Claire Bates in the Daily Mail. "Coincidentally it is thought that the masterpiece was inspired by the blood red skies caused by the powerful volcanic eruption of Krakatoa in 1883."
The volcano looks like Edvard Munch's "The Scream"
Radar images of the volcano's crater appear to resemble a "nightmarish face...reminiscent of Edvard Munch's painting The Scream," reports Claire Bates in the Daily Mail. "Coincidentally it is thought that the masterpiece was inspired by the blood red skies caused by the powerful volcanic eruption of Krakatoa in 1883."
It forced a Monty Python star to take a $5,000 cab ride
John Cleese, of the classic Monty Python's Flying Circus comedy troupe, paid $5,100 for a taxi ride from Oslo in Norway to Brussels in Belgium. Known for his absurdist humor, notes Clive Irving at the Daily Beast, Cleese is "the perfect posterboy for the present situation."
Norway is being governed via iPad
Jens Stoltenberg, prime minister of Norway, is stuck in New York. But he has reportedly been running the country quite effectively from 4,000 miles away with his new Apple iPad. "It's official," says Stevie Smith at theTech Herald. Apple's latest toy is "capable of running the world."
Jens Stoltenberg, prime minister of Norway, is stuck in New York. But he has reportedly been running the country quite effectively from 4,000 miles away with his new Apple iPad. "It's official," says Stevie Smith at theTech Herald. Apple's latest toy is "capable of running the world."
The eruption destroyed millions of flowers — in Kenya
Floral exports make up 20 percent of the Kenya's economy — and they have been completely shut down by Europe's flight ban. The head of the Kenya Flower Council told the BBC that local growers have been forced to destroy 3,000 tons of flowers since last week with devastating effects on the local economy.
Just try buying a kumquat in Frankfurt
Like Europe's imported flowers, many of its exotic fruits and vegetables are flown in from Africa and the Middle East. With so many planes grounded, food suppliers are warning of shortages. "We will lack beans and chillies from Egypt and fresh herbs from Israel," says wholesaler Peter Grundhoefer to Reuters. And "exotic fruits like mango, kumquats and physalis" will start becoming scarce in the next day or two.
Twitter has become an emergency travel service
Stranded travellers are using Twitter to hitch rides across Europe, reports Ben Fenton in the Financial Times. By posting messages with searchable hash tags such as #getmehome or #stranded, Tweeple have been able locate "potential lift sharers and others in the same boat (or train, or car)." A boat service from France to the U.K. was also organized using the social networking tool.
Floral exports make up 20 percent of the Kenya's economy — and they have been completely shut down by Europe's flight ban. The head of the Kenya Flower Council told the BBC that local growers have been forced to destroy 3,000 tons of flowers since last week with devastating effects on the local economy.
Just try buying a kumquat in Frankfurt
Like Europe's imported flowers, many of its exotic fruits and vegetables are flown in from Africa and the Middle East. With so many planes grounded, food suppliers are warning of shortages. "We will lack beans and chillies from Egypt and fresh herbs from Israel," says wholesaler Peter Grundhoefer to Reuters. And "exotic fruits like mango, kumquats and physalis" will start becoming scarce in the next day or two.
Twitter has become an emergency travel service
Stranded travellers are using Twitter to hitch rides across Europe, reports Ben Fenton in the Financial Times. By posting messages with searchable hash tags such as #getmehome or #stranded, Tweeple have been able locate "potential lift sharers and others in the same boat (or train, or car)." A boat service from France to the U.K. was also organized using the social networking tool.
Airlines are asking for a "volcano bailout"
While the EU was recently forced to write a check to save Greece's economy, it could be forced to dig deep in its pockets for the airline industry, too. Several carriers, including British Airways, have asked for financial compensation. The bill could prove to be steep: at the same time BA is losing $30 million each day and Air France-KLM around $40 million, volcanologists are warning that eruption could go on for months.
The sports world is reeling
Marquee sporting events around the globe have been hit hard by the flight ban. Olympic runner Abdellah Falil was unable to compete in the Boston Marathon on Monday; several Olympic cyclists missed the Amstel Gold race in Holland; the Japanese MotoGP has been postponed; and wrestling fans will be devastated to learn that WWE stars including John Cena, Randy Orton and Batista are stranded in Belfast, Northern Ireland. If the disruptions persist, several European soccer games — including Tuesday's match between Barcelona and Inter Milan — may have to be postponed.
While the EU was recently forced to write a check to save Greece's economy, it could be forced to dig deep in its pockets for the airline industry, too. Several carriers, including British Airways, have asked for financial compensation. The bill could prove to be steep: at the same time BA is losing $30 million each day and Air France-KLM around $40 million, volcanologists are warning that eruption could go on for months.
The sports world is reeling
Marquee sporting events around the globe have been hit hard by the flight ban. Olympic runner Abdellah Falil was unable to compete in the Boston Marathon on Monday; several Olympic cyclists missed the Amstel Gold race in Holland; the Japanese MotoGP has been postponed; and wrestling fans will be devastated to learn that WWE stars including John Cena, Randy Orton and Batista are stranded in Belfast, Northern Ireland. If the disruptions persist, several European soccer games — including Tuesday's match between Barcelona and Inter Milan — may have to be postponed.
Prepare for lots of snow in New Jersey
Experts warn that the last three times Eyjafjallajökull has erupted, it triggered the eruption of Katla, an even more powerful volcano a few miles away. Such an eruption could be a global event, reports Roger Boyes in the Times, as Katla's last eruption — in the 1820s — created severe famines around the world, and changed the global "climate so dramatically that New Jersey recorded its largest snowfall and Egypt one of its most enduring droughts."
Experts warn that the last three times Eyjafjallajökull has erupted, it triggered the eruption of Katla, an even more powerful volcano a few miles away. Such an eruption could be a global event, reports Roger Boyes in the Times, as Katla's last eruption — in the 1820s — created severe famines around the world, and changed the global "climate so dramatically that New Jersey recorded its largest snowfall and Egypt one of its most enduring droughts."
Some of the Other Interesting Facts about it
Iceland Volcano:
- It's in south-west Iceland, it's near the sea, and it covers around 40 square miles
- Its 1,666 meters tall
- The volcano has erupted TWICE. Once in March 2010, which meant 500 people were evacuated from the area, and then again in April (much more powerful than the March eruption) which caused Europe so much disruption
- It's underneath a glacier which causes two problems: 1) flooding when the heat from the volcano melts all the ice, which is why those people were evacuated, and 2) it makes the eruption highly explosive. When the water leaked into the insides of the volcano, the magma turned the water to steam. The resulting explosion shattered the magma into tiny fragments called 'volcanic ash' and shot them high into the sky
- The ash cloud reached 55,000 feet
- Iceland is a volcanic hot spot on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which is the dividing line between the Eurasian and North American plates
- There are 35 active volcanoes in Iceland
- There is another volcano nearby and people are worried this eruption could set it off. It's called Katla
An
even bigger volcano
- Katla is around 25km away from the other one
- It's got a much bigger magma chamber so it's far more powerful
- Each of the eruptions of Eyjafjallajöekull in the years 920, 1612, and 1821-1823 has been followed by an eruption at Katla
- On 20 April 2010, Icelandic President Olafur Grimsson said: "The time for Katla to erupt is coming close… we have prepared… it is high time for European governments and airline authorities all over the world to start planning for the eventual Katla eruption."
- It could cause more disruption in Europe, but also major flooding in Iceland
The
disruption caused by the volcano in Iceland
- British airspace was closed for six days, which meant no planes could fly at all
- 120,000-150,000 Brits were stranded abroad, including loads of teachers and pupils on their Easter holidays
- The disruption has cost airlines across the whole world £1.1 billion
- 1.2 million passengers a day were affected by the closure
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