Iceland: Eyjafhallahokull-The Troublemaker

*** Guest post by Alex

Whilst in Iceland, we visited the Eyjafjnallajokull visitor centre. Eyjaf-whatever is currently an active volcano that, in 2010, erupted. 

The white mountain behind us is the volcano. You can't see the crater because it is hidden behind a huge ice cap ( Yeah, I know! IN MAY!!!!!). During the 2010 eruption, the volcano melted a nearby glacier which unleashed a torrent of water that flooded several square kilometers of farmland and inundated a construction site and the country's largest highway and only main road through the region. The white and red buildings shown behind us in the photo is a farm that survived the eruption.

At the visitor centre they showed us a twenty minute film about the history of the farm during the eruption. The farm itself housed several hundred animals including horses, chickens, cows, donkeys and pigs. A power station roughly half a kilometer away provided free electricity that was harnessed from the power of the volcano. . The farm had 11 inches of ash recorded on the ground and roof of buildings after the eruption of Eyjaf-thingymajigy.

I found it really fascinating to learn about the volcano and I enjoyed seeing the volcano for myself.

Alex.