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Iceland drafts emergency evacuation plans as volcano rumbles after centuries of inactivity | Iceland drafts emergency evacuation plans as volcano rumbles after centuries of inactivity |
(about 7 hours later) | |
A long-dormant volcano has begun to show signs of activity in Iceland, with authorities fine-tuning evacuation plans in the event it becomes one of the largest eruptions in the country’s history. | A long-dormant volcano has begun to show signs of activity in Iceland, with authorities fine-tuning evacuation plans in the event it becomes one of the largest eruptions in the country’s history. |
Öræfajökull, a volcano that last erupted in 1728, is being closely monitored by the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) and the Civil Protection Agency, with satellite images showing a kilometer-wide depression in the surface of the ice in the volcano’s mouth. This phenomenon is known as an “ice cauldron.” | |
READ MORE: Volcano erupts on Indonesian resort island amid mass evacuations (VIDEOS) | READ MORE: Volcano erupts on Indonesian resort island amid mass evacuations (VIDEOS) |
The IMO reported that geothermal water released from the mouth of the volcano, or ‘caldera,’ has now mixed with melted water from the glacier, resulting in a smell of sulfur being detected along the nearby Kvia river. There is not yet any sign of a flood risk. | |
“Although there has been significant geothermal activity in the Öræfajökull caldera, there are no signs of an imminent volcanic eruption,” the IMO said in a statement on its website. “There is considerable uncertainty about how the situation will evolve. The Icelandic Meteorological Office continues to monitor the region around-the-clock via seismic observations.” | “Although there has been significant geothermal activity in the Öræfajökull caldera, there are no signs of an imminent volcanic eruption,” the IMO said in a statement on its website. “There is considerable uncertainty about how the situation will evolve. The Icelandic Meteorological Office continues to monitor the region around-the-clock via seismic observations.” |
The danger level for Öræfajökull remains at ‘yellow,’ with fire brigades on standby to assist with possible evacuations. Police posted a breakdown of emergency evacuation plans on its Facebook page Wednesday, including instructions for local residents on what to do in the event of an eruption. | |
Alert code yellow means the volcano is active, but nothing points to an imminent discharge. The volcano sits in a remote area on the southeast coast of Iceland. The last eruption in 1728 was the largest ever recorded. | |
READ MORE: Volcano spews plume of ash into the sky near Mexico City (PHOTOS, VIDEO) | READ MORE: Volcano spews plume of ash into the sky near Mexico City (PHOTOS, VIDEO) |
In 2010, an eruption of Eyjafjallajökull, another Icelandic volcano, caused widespread chaos as the resulting ash cloud grounded flights all over Europe for a week due to visibility concerns and anxieties over the effect of the ash on aircraft engines. The shutdown cost airlines as much as $2.5 billion collectively, according to Science. |
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