Iceland erupts over Europe Eyjafjallajökull is a large glacier in Iceland covering an active volcano of 1666 metres in height. The volcano had been monitored since 2009, when it first showed signs of seismic activity. There was definite activity as thousands of very small earthquakes were recorded, some of which produced tremors felt in neighbouring towns. In February 2010 scientists noticed the ground around the volcano had moved 1cm in 4 days, strongly suggesting a volcanic eruption. Then on April 14th 2010, after a period of being non-active, there was an eruption in the centre of the glacier. The lava was instantly cooled by the ice, and transformed into millions of sharp fragments like glass, carried up into the cloud of gasses and ash. Water rushed down either side of the volcano, resulting in roads being washed away and the evacuation of 800 people. The cloud of debris reached 4.8km high and blew in a south west direction over Europe. This caused the closure of airports all over Europe for several days, leaving travelers stranded all over the world. It is thought that airlines have lost £1.7billion, and affected 1.2 million passengers a day. With people taking extravagant measures to get home, such as £3000 taxi rides, this disaster has caused significant disruption beyond the extreme.