On Wednesday, scientists went to investigate the volcano that erupted near the Eyjafjallajokull (probably pronounced “eye-a-fyall-yokull”) glacier in the south of Iceland. Volcanic activity was stable at the time.<br /><br />For the first time, the Eyjafjallajokull volcano, near the glacier of the same name, erupted late on Saturday.<br /><br />But earlier in the week, it had shown signs of increased activity. And scientists warn that it could trigger a far more powerful eruption at Mount Katla - a powerful volcano lying under a glacier nearby. <br /><br />While there are no immediate signs the eruption has caused any changes in Katla, three previous eruptions at Eyjafjallajokull have triggered eruptions at Mount Katla.<br /><br />An eruption at Mount Katla could melt huge amounts of ice and cause massive floods, potentially affecting a town of 300 people nearby. <br /><br />On Sunday, rescue teams evacuated 500 people from the rural area around the volcano and police declared a local state of emergency.<br /><br />International flights were diverted because of the risk of interference from ash clouds. <br /><br />No injuries or damage to property were reported. <br /><br />Iceland sits on a volcanic hotspot in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and has relatively frequent eruptions, though most occur in sparsely populated areas and pose little danger to people or property.<br /><br />The last eruption in Iceland took place in 2004.
