Smoke Signal Warnings

Any acts hoping Iceland’s erupting volcano will quiet down before their summer tours of Europe should note the tiny north Atlantic island has 35 active volcanoes and three of them could go off at any time.

Scientists including Edinburgh University volcanologist Thor Thordarson have studied a timeline of 205 Icelandic eruptions spanning 1,100 years and discovered these things tend to come in regular cycles.

“The frequency of Icelandic eruptions seems to rise and fall in a cycle lasting around 140 years,” he told The Sunday Times.
“In the latter part of the 20th century we were in a low period, but now there is evidence that we could be approaching a peak.”

His findings coincide with warnings that the eruption of Eyjafjallajokull, which has disrupted air travel across Europe for several weeks, could carry on for several months – or even years.

Some geologists have also noted that eruptions of Katla, a larger volcano 15 miles to the east of Eyjafjallajokull, tend to be triggered when its smaller neighbour stirs.

Grimsvotn, Hekla and Askja, three nearby volcanoes also larger than Eyjafjallajokull, are also reportedly nearing the point where they may erupt.

As if to prove that even clouds of volcanic ash have silver linings, Icelandic singer-songwriter Elíza Geirsdóttir Newman has raised her profile by composing a song that helps people pronounce Eyjafjallajökull. It’s already had more than 200,000 hits on YouTube.
Iceland Airwaves, the country’s annual music festival, is scheduled to go ahead Oct. 13-17.