Pictures: Iceland Volcano Spews Giant Ash Clouds

Iceland Volcano Slope

Photograph courtesy Árni Sæberg, Icelandic Coast Guard

Slopes of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano are seen from the air in a photo taken Wednesday by the Icelandic Coast Guard. (Video: Volcano 101.)

The giant dust clouds from the volcano's new vent, which began erupting midweek, is a serious hazard to air traffic in European skies, since tiny particles of rock, glass, and sand could potentially jam jet engines. (Related: "Volcanic Ash Stops Europe Flights—Why Ash Is Dangerous.")

"Combustion engines work through sucking in air, and that's what generates the power," according to Richard Taylor, a spokesperson for the U.K. Civil Aviation Authority.

"Volcanic dust can get into the minute parts of an aircraft engine and cause all sorts of damage. Like a car driving through a sandstorm, it's going to clog up the engine's internal parts."

Published April 15, 2010

Iceland Volcano's Ash-Filled "Rivers"

Photograph courtesy Árni Sæberg, Icelandic Coast Guard

Black rivers of meltwater mixed with volcanic ash are shown spreading from the erupting Eyjafjallajökull volcano in a photo taken Wednesday by the Icelandic Coast Guard.

The latest eruption of the volcano—which came to life March 20 after nearly 200 years (see pictures of the first eruption)—began on Tuesday. This new eruption, at a new vent, spurred the rapid melting of the 650-foot-thick (200-meter-thick) glacier, which lies on top of the vent. (Related pictures: "Iceland Volcano Erupts, Under Ice This Time.")

Fearing floods, officials ordered the evacuation of about 800 people living in the remote Icelandic region this week.

Published April 15, 2010

Iceland Volcano's Giant Ash Clouds

Photograph courtesy Árni Sæberg, Icelandic Coast Guard

A seven-mile-high (11-kilometer-high) cloud of steam, smoke, and ash billows from Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano on Thursday.

"It's been long established that flying through volcanic ash is a very dangerous safety risk," said the U.K. Civil Aviation Authority's Taylor.

He cited the example of a British Airways Boeing 747 that lost all four engines after flying into volcanic ash over Indonesia in 1982.

"The engines fortunately restarted, but it’s clearly a very dangerous thing to do," Taylor said.

Published April 15, 2010

Iceland Volcano's Devastating Floodwaters

Photograph courtesy Árni Sæberg, Icelandic Coast Guard

About one-fifth of the 650-foot-thick (200-meter-thick) ice block atop Eyjafjallajökull volcano's new vent is thought to have already melted (pictured, floods seen on Thursday), with further flooding expected, according to the U.K.'s Guardian newspaper.

Most of the roughly 800 people evacuated from the inundated regions this week are farmers whose land has been largely destroyed, the newspaper reported.

Related

• Overview of Iceland's Volcanic Landscape
• Pictures of Initial Iceland Volcano Eruption in March
• Iceland Volcano Pictures: Eruption Sparks Tourist Boom
• Living With Volcanoes
• Iceland's Power Struggle: Tap Volcanic Energy or Keep Land Pristine?
• Iceland Volcano Creates 27-Story "Mountain"
• Alaska Volcano Photos: Redoubt Spurs Huge Mudflow, Ash

Published April 15, 2010