You all remember last year when Icelandic volcano Ejyafjallajokall erupted and grounded 100,000 flights and 8 million passengers. Now a sister volcano, one far more active and infamous, is poised to erupt.
According to British paper The Telegraph:
“The movements around Hekla have been unusual in the last two to three days,” University of Iceland geophysicist Pall Einarsson said.
While this might not necessarily mean an immediate blast, “the volcano is ready to erupt,” he stressed. “The mountain has been slowly expanding in the last few years because of magma buildup.”
Another geophysicist, Ari Trausit Gudmundsson, also said the measurements around Hekla were very “unusual” and that the volcano looked ready to blow. “Something is going on,” he said.
The volcano, dubbed the “Gateway to Hell” by Icelanders in the Middle Ages, is one of the country’s most active, having erupted some 20 times over the past millennium, most recently on February 26, 2000. ”
When Eyja blew her top last year, the massive ash cloud extended halfway across Europe. Now, with the British Open starting just over one week away, an eruption would make travel to and from St. George’s difficult if not impossible should the worst occur.
Of course, another massive volcanic eruption and subsequent ash cloud have far more serious consequences than disrupting a golf tournament, and we at AWIPT are cogniscent of the global implications and devastation an eruption could cause.
Still, the British Open (the “Open Championship to the rest of the world” is the de facto world championship of the premiere sport this publication covers.
We have not yet been able to reach R&A officials to get a response to our inquiries of what precautions, if any are being taken, but we will report back on this story should circumstances warrant.
