Tens of thousands of years ago SVEIFLUHÁLS was the main creator of a huge volcanic eruption. On top of the eruption area lay hundreds of meters of ice. Lava met ice, and the result was an inferno. Heat from the eruption instantly boiled ice to steam which increased the eruptive power by a huge amount it was like a Campaign bottle blowing the cork out. Magma hitting the steam exploded into tiny bits, sending tons of tiny pieces of ash billowing to. It would have looked like the scene that effected many people heard this spring that volcano that erupted around 60 km to the east, known as Eyjafjallajökull (pronounced “AY-ya-FYAT-la-yo-kult”).
Computer modeling of volcanic eruptions under ice suggests that thin ice plus even a little magma equals hazardous eruptions. Eyjafjallajökull began erupting on March 20, but few people other than volcanologists and Icelanders took notice at first. For weeks, all it did was spurt lava gently out of an exposed ridge. Scientists are also studying volcano-ice interactions to learn more about the past. By chronicling geologic signs that volcanoes like Sveifluháls once erupted under ice, researchers can build up a picture of how far ice extended over the planet, and when. Icy volcanoes might even be a key to answering annoying question like whether global warming could trigger more eruptions by lifting the mantle of ice above volcanoes.
As glaciers retreated from Iceland at the end of the last ice age, about 12,000 years ago, volcanic activity increased some researchers think that the ongoing melting of ice caps worldwide could have a similar effect. Iceland is an ideal place to see icy volcanoes and for scientists to figure out how such volcanoes work. The country has 24 active volcanoes, of which Eyjafjallajökull is relatively puny.
It is interesting because normally fire would melt the ice
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