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Location:
Europe,
Iceland, Eyjafjallajokull fra
Valahnuk |
Category:
Volcano cam |
Description:
View of the
volcano at Eyjafjallajokull
fra Valahnuk |
Location Information:
A
geologically young land, Iceland is
located on both the Iceland hotspot
and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which
runs right through it. This location
means that the island is highly
geologically active with many
volcanoes, notably Hekla, Eldgjá,
Herðubreið and Eldfell. The volcanic
eruption of Laki in 1783 - 1784
caused a famine that killed nearly a
quarter of the island's population; the eruption caused
dust clouds and haze to appear over
most of Europe and parts of Asia and
Africa for several months afterward.
Dettifoss, located in northeast
Iceland. It is the largest waterfall
in Europe in terms of volume
discharge, with an average water
flow of 200 m3/second.There are also
many geysers in Iceland, including
Geysir, from which the English word
is derived, as well as the famous
Strokkur, which erupts every 5–10
minutes. After a phase of
inactivity, Geysir started erupting
again after a series of earthquakes
in 2000.
With the widespread availability of
geothermal power, and the harnessing
of many rivers and waterfalls for
hydroelectricity, most residents
have inexpensive hot water and home
heat. The island itself is composed
primarily of basalt, a low-silica
lava associated with effusive
volcanism like Hawaii. Iceland,
however, has a variety of volcanic
types[clarification needed], many
producing more evolved lavas such as
rhyolite and andesite.
Surtsey, one of the youngest islands
in the world, is part of Iceland.
Named after Surtr, it rose above the
ocean in a series of volcanic
eruptions between 8 November 1963
and 5 June 1968. Only scientists
researching the growth of new life
are allowed to visit the island.
On 21 March 2010, a volcano in
Eyjafjallajökull in the south of
Iceland erupted, for the first time
since 1821, forcing 600 people to
flee their homes. Further eruptions
on 14 April forced hundreds of
people to abandon their homes.
The resultant cloud of volcanic ash
brought major disruption to air
travel across Northern Europe
Local
Weather:
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