Eyjafjallajokull glacier
Icelanders were forced to evacuate a region in Southern Iceland just shy of midnight Saturday (March 20th) when a volcano erupted in the vicinity of the Eyjafjallajokull glacier without warning.
As press time, no injuries (or major property damage) was reported.
Like the Mt. St. Helen's eruption decades ago, the sudden Volcanic activity in Iceland, took the Nation by surprise.
After all, the last reported eruption occurred approximately ninety years ago in the 1820's.
Scientists assured residents ousted by the impromptu force of nature that the chances of flooding appeared to be slim since the rupture - and subsequent lava flow - did not occur below the ice.
Geologists noted that Scientists have spied lava flows in a fissure which appears to be about a half-a-mile long.
The site is being monitored for ongoing activity.
As a precaution, authorities evacuated about 450 people in the region of Reykjavik (Iceland's Capitol).
A state of emergency declared in communities near the large glacier triggered a domino effect, too.
For example, Civil Aviation Officials restricted aircraft to a distance of 120 nautical miles beyond the volcano area, as Red Cross centers scurried to set up emergency relief shelters for evacueees in tiny villages such as Hella.
U.S. commercial flights - based in Seattle, Boston, and Orlando - were also diverted.
In addition, domestic flights in Iceland were canceled until further notice, according to News Services in Iceland.
Updates to follow!
Mt. St. Helen's eruption!
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