Icelandic Volcano Eruption Tracked by Scientists : Big Pic
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March 22, 2010 -- Scientists are flying over southern Iceland to evaluate whether it's safe for people to return to their homes after a volcanic eruption.
Saturday night's eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano -- which is located near a glacier of the same name -- shot ash and molten lava into the air early Sunday March 21, 2010, and forced nearly 500 people to evacuate. Some were allowed to return home late Sunday, but residents of 14 farms nearest to the eruption site were not.
This was the volcano's first major eruption in nearly 200 years.
The eruption caused both domestic and international flights to be canceled because of the threat of airborne volcanic ash. By Monday, flights were returning to normal.
The last eruption near this glacier came in 1821 -- a so-called "lazy" eruption that went on slowly and continuously for two years.
Source: Associated Press
Photo credits: AP Photo/Ragnar Axelsson
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