Eyjafjallajökull

Eyjafjallajökull (ˈeiːjaˌfjatlaˌjœːkʏtl̥; glacier of the mountains of the islands), sometimes referred to by the numeronym E15, is one of the smaller ice caps of Iceland, north of Skógar and west of Mýrdalsjökull. The ice cap covers the caldera of a volcano with a summit elevation of . The volcano has erupted relatively frequently since the Last Glacial Period, most recently in 2010, when, although relatively small for a volcanic eruption, it caused enormous disruption to air travel across northern and western Europe for a week. Eyjafjallajökull consists of a volcano completely covered by an ice cap. The ice cap covers an area of about , feeding many outlet glaciers. The main outlet glaciers are to the north: Gígjökull ˈciɣˌjœːkʏtl̥, flowing into Lónið ˈlouːnɪθ, and Steinholtsjökull ˈsteinˌhɔl̥(t)sˌjœːkʏtl̥, flowing into Steinholtslón ˈsteinˌhɔl̥(t)sˌlouːn. In 1967, there was a massive landslide on the Steinholtsjökull glacial tongue. On 16 January 1967 at 13:47:55 there was an explosion on the glacier. It can be timed because the seismometers at Kirkjubæjarklaustur monitored the movement. When about of material hit the glacier a massive amount of air, ice, and water began to move out from under the glacier into the lagoon at the foot of the glacier. The mountain itself, a stratovolcano, stands at its highest point, and has a crater in diameter, open to the north. The crater rim has three main peaks (clockwise from the north-east): Guðnasteinn ˈkvʏðnaˌsteitn̥, ; Hámundur ˈhauːˌmʏntʏr̥, ; and Goðasteinn ˈkɔːðaˌsteitn̥, . The south face of the mountain was once part of Iceland's coastline, from which, over thousands of years, the sea has retreated some . The former coastline now consists of sheer cliffs with many waterfalls, of which the best known is Skógafoss. In strong winds, the water of the smaller falls can even be blown up the mountain. The area between the mountain and the present coast is a relatively flat strand, wide, called Eyjafjöll ˈeiːjaˌfjœtl̥. The Eyjafjallajökull volcano last erupted on 14 April 2010 in Iceland.