Volcano May Blow in Iceland

Hekla volcano, possible one of Iceland's most active volcanoes, could be close to erupting, a University of Iceland geoscientist claims.

The most prominent sign of an impending eruption is bulging ground on the northern side of the volcano. This surface swelling indicates magma (molten rock) is rising under the volcano, pushing up the ground as it fills fractures and pipes beneath Hekla. According to GPS monitoring of the expanding surface, there is now more magma underneath Hekla than before the volcano's last eruption in 2000, University of Iceland geophysicist Páll Einarsson said in a report published in the Icelandic newspaper Morgunblaðið yesterday (March 17).

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Volcano in Indonesia Erupts

Thousands of Indonesians fled their homes after Mount Lokon, one of the country's most active volcano, erupted Friday.

Mount Lokon began spitting lava and smoke around 10:46 p.m., disaster management officials have said. The first eruption was followed by a second after midnight and third shortly after 1 p.m., according to TIME.

The volcano has been on alert since Sunday. It last erupted in 1991.

Indonesia transport ministry has also warned planes not to avoid routes near the volcano, which is located in northern Sulawesi province.

The more than 6,000 people who fled from the eruptions are now being housed in temporary shelters such as schools and. Some 27,000 people who live nearby maybe evacuated later, authorities have said.

Indonesia, which has more than 17,000 islands, has a population of about 238 million. It's

Ash Cloud Clears, Flights Resume for Australians

Australian airlines struggled to move a backlog of tens of thousands of passengers on Wednesday after an ash cloud from a Chilean volcano, which had grounded flights across the country's eastern and southern states, cleared.

The ash cloud has circled the earth twice to disrupt Australian airlines for a second time, costing Qantas an estimated A$20 million before the latest disruptions and the tourism industry more than A$15 million in two weeks.

Australia's Bureau of Meteorology's Volcanic Ash Advisory Center said long-term modeling suggested the ash cloud would not pass over Australia for a third time and disrupt airlines.

Volcanic ash can be extremely dangerous to aircraft and cause engine failure or engine damage.
Qantas said it had resumed flights from Melbourne and Sydney, the country's two main terminals, while Virgin Australia had also resumed flights. Qantas low-cost subsidiary Jetstar and discount carrier Tiger Airlines were all also gradually resuming flights.

"There's possibly some hope that Thursday will start to return to normal," said Civil Aviation Safety Authority spokesman Peter Gibson.

The majority of international carriers continued flights to and from Australia on Wednesday, with airlines including Singapore, Thai, Etihad and Emirates landing in Sydney.

Iceland Closes Main Airport Following Eruption

Iceland closed its main international airport Sunday after the country's most active volcano, Grimsvotn, sent ash and smoke 20 kilometres into the air.

Ash was expected to spread over Iceland over several hours, shutting Keflavik and other airports on the island.

However, the plume was not heading toward Europe, Iceland's Meteorological Office said. The ash was instead blowing west toward Greenland.

The Grimsvotn volcano, which lies under the uninhabited Vatnajokull glacier, began erupting Saturday for the first time since 2004.

But officials say it is unlikey to have the same impact as last spring's eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano, which forced the closure of a large section of European airspace.

Officials closed the continent's air space for five days in April 2010, fearing the ash could damage jet engines. Some 10 million travellers were stranded.