Volcanoes of Iceland

 
Sometimes it may seem to us that we know everything about countries so far away from us. A lot of articles, scientific programs, several conversations with friends - and the whole country seems to be in your pocket. But the far edges always have something to open for you during a personal meeting!

 
So it is in hike in Iceland - the country of ice and snow, lost between the mysterious lands of Greenland and Norway, will than melt even the most picky hearts. We assure you, the journey through Iceland will surprise you no less than the most beautiful pedestrian routes of the world, such as the alpine track around Annapurna in Nepal or the famous Lycian pathway in Turkey.

 
Deeply in the bowels of the island of Iceland, the streams of hot magma are bubbling, concealing underneath a lava plateau - the hot heart of Iceland. In general, the territory of the country rises about 30 shield volcanoes, many of which have long been sleeping. But there are those who are ready to wake up at any moment.
 
So, for example, "Island of mountain glaciers" - the volcano Eyyafyadlayekudl (1661 m), located near the capital of the island, now sleeps under tons of ice. But it is this volcano that has recently frightened all the inhabitants of the country.
 
The stored information about its eruptions may indicate that the first activity of this volcano was noticed in the early 1800s. Then the whole year of the year the volcano poured out lava flows to the surrounding lands. And, having fallen asleep for 200 years, he again reminded of himself in the spring of 2010. Due to a powerful eruption, a state of emergency was declared. Airspace was closed over part of Europe for almost a week. But even after the elimination of all the destruction, the volcano did not calm down, and on April 14 a large release of volcanic ash into the atmosphere took place, which also led to a restriction of the use of airspace!

 
The next volcano is very consonant with the name, but has the status of the largest volcano in Iceland. This giant is called Erayvaiküdl, and its height reaches 2119 meters above sea level. It should be noted that the highest point of the country, the peak of Hwannadalschnukur, is on its north-western edge. The cone-shaped form of the volcano is crowned by a caldera (a depression of volcanic origin with steep walls and a relatively flat bottom formed as a result of collapse of the walls of the crater after eruptions) with a length of almost 5 km.
 
Two cases of the awakening of this volcano are recorded in history. For the first time in 1362 an explosive eruption threw huge amounts of volcanic material into the air, which, after settling on the ground. As a result, the surroundings of the volcano were covered with ashes and suffered from flooding as a result of the melting of glaciers. The second eruption happened in the 1720s and lasted almost a year.
 
Since then, Aravaiküdl has been asleep, but a few years ago, the experts detected a new activity. The probability of a third, no less severe eruption is confirmed by photo data from the satellite and local residents' testimonies about the smell of sulfur. To date, the meteorological service of Iceland has declared a yellow threat level.

 
The nature of Iceland is in many respects contradictory, but it does not prevent it from remaining surprising. And despite the fact that most of it is volcanoes, deserts, geysers, waterfalls, it draws your attention to yourself, and never reveals all the secrets to the end!