Iceland's Erupting Volcano Turns Back Seattle Flight

An Icelandair flight from Seattle was turned back after a southern volcano dormant almost 200 years erupted near Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull, a smaller glacier. The eruption occurred at 8 p.m. EDT on Saturday night, and planes were warned off landing at Keflavik, over 100 miles west of the volcano, because of the danger of volcanic ash. Locals in the area were quickly evacuated, though today farmers were anxious to return home to check on their animals.

The eruption was not unexpected; seismic activity beforehand indicated magma rising. Now at least one geophysicist is saying the activity might set off the neighboring Katla volcano, which sits beneath nearby Mýrdalsjökull [jökull=glacier]. "All known eruptions in Eyjafjallajökull were related to Katla eruptions and therefore it seems that they might a prelude to eruptions in Katla," Iceland Review Online quotes geophysicist Páll Einarsson saying.

Icelandair lists its volcanically delayed flights here. Delays aside, I completely recommend you visit Iceland whenever possible. Amazing things like this are always happening there.