A VOLCANO in the area of the Eyjafallajoekull glacier in southern Iceland erupted today, forcing more 500 people in its vicinity to evacuate their homes, authorities said.
"We estimate that no one is in danger in the area but we have started an evacuation plan and between 500 and 600 people are being evacuated" Sigurgeir Gudmundsson of the Icelandic civil protections department said.
Public broadcaster RUV reported that the eruption had started shortly after midnight and that the area's main road had been closed.
A volcano in the area of the Eyjafjallajokull glacier last erupted in 1821 and 1823.
**FEARS GLACIER COULD MELT AND FLOOD SURROUNDING AREA.**
The volcano is covered by an ice cap. Authorities have evacuated hundreds of people in the area 160 kilometers (100 miles) southeast of the capital, Reykjavik, for fear of flooding as the glacier melts.
Eyjafjallajökull (pronounced [ˈɛɪjaˌfjatlaˌjœkʏtl̥]) is one of the smaller glaciers of Iceland. It is situated to the north of Skógar and to the west of the larger glacier Mýrdalsjökull.
The icecap of the glacier covers a volcano (1,666 m in height) which has erupted relatively frequently since the Ice Age. The latest eruption began in March 2010, and the most recent eruption before then was from 1821 to 1823, causing a fatal glacier run; a previous eruption was in 1612. The crater of the volcano has a diameter of 3–4 km and the glacier covers an area of about 100 km².
The south end of the mountain was once part of the Atlantic coastline. As the sea has since retreated some 5 km, the former coastline has left behind sheer cliffs with a multitude of beautiful waterfalls, the best known of them being Skógafoss. In strong winds, the water of the smaller falls can even be blown up the mountain.
Between 3rd and 5th of March 2010 there were measured close to 3000 earthquakes at the epicenter of the volcano. Most were very small but some could be detected in the nearby towns.[1] The first news of an eruption arrived on March 20.[2][3] The towns of Fljótshlíð and Markarfljót are to be evacuated, and flights destined to Reykjavík on Icelandair will be diverted.[4][5]
FLIGHTS FROM U.S.A ARE BEING SENT BACK TO POINT OF ORIGIN.
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