Iceland’s Grimsvotn volcano erupts; air traffic disruption unlikely

Iceland’s Grimsvotn volcano has started erupting, emitting plumes of smoke 18,000 foot, according to reports. According to Iceland’s Meteorological Office, the volcanic eruption was accompanied by a series of small earthquakes.

Grimsvotn, which last erupted in 2004, is Iceland’s most active volcano. The volcanic eruption in the North Atlantic region may not cause an air traffic chaos similar to the crisis last year, scientists have said.

It can be a big eruption, but it is unlikely to be like last year, Hjorleifur Sveinbjornsson, a geologist at the Meteorological Office, said, according to Reuters.

Grimsvotn volcano lies under the Vatnajokull glacier in southeast Iceland.

European air traffic had been badly hit last year by the ashes from the Eyjafjallajokul volcano.