Eyjafjallajökull volcano, Iceland
The second eruption of Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland
occurred on 14 April 2010 caused extensive air travel disruption
across large parts of Europe.
In response to fears that particles ejected by the volcano into
standard flight corridors could damage aircraft engines, the
airspace of many countries closed, stranding a very large number of
travellers.
The volcanic eruption occurred beneath glacial ice and the cold
water from melting ice chilled the lava quickly, causing it to
fragment into glass, creating small glass particles that were
carried into the eruption plume. This, together with the magnitude
of the eruption, sent a glass-rich plume hazardous to aircraft into
the upper atmosphere.
Large parts of European airspace closed to air traffic.
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