Iceland’s locals prepare themselves for the worst as the most significant volcano in Iceland prepares to erupt. According to Yahoo UK, this eruption can harm the tourism industry around the world and influence the air quality, as in 2010.
This enormous volcano peaked at 6591 ft above sea level and shook by four earthquakes within the last week. According to the Daily Star, the vibrations of the quakes could cause Bardarbunga to erupt as the earthquakes that Iceland has been experiencing are early warning signs of the volcano’s eruption. However, the shocks do not cause the eruption of the volcano; it is only an indication that the volcano might erupt sooner rather than later.
Before the volcano’s last eruption in 2017, NASA found seismic activity that increased for a seven-year period fluctuated briefly in 2011 before the grand eruption in August 2014 that lead the volcano to erupt and spew lava for days on end.
Locals in the area fear that this eruption will be as high as Eyjafjallajokull’s eruption in 2010 when 100 000 flights were cancelled. This left ten million people stranded that lead to a $1.7Billion loss for the airlines as flights halted for a month.
The ash from the eruption spread further than usual and was present in the area for a lengthy period. Scientists then discovered the chaos that went on for an extended term caused by the surrounding glacial water that came into contact with the magma. This caused the ash to be more aerodynamic and floated for more extended periods at a time.
At the moment there is no evidence to prove that Bardarbunga will create the same length of chaos, as volcanoes are very unpredictable and might even be harmless. The country still needs to prepare for the worst should volcano Bardarbunga create the same amount of turmoil or even worse.
Iceland needs to prepare itself should the volcano’s eruption be more aggressive than the one of 2010. It is better to be prepared and have solutions than to cause havoc amongst the locals that will create an even more significant disaster and might also lead to more lives lost.
