Katla, the ‘witch’ volcano, looms over Iceland FEATURE 04/25/2010

Katla, the ‘witch’ volcano, looms over Iceland

FEATURE 04/25/2010 SOLHEIMAJOKULL GLACIER — A metal sign reads: “Warning! The glacier can be dangerous.” A rumbling growl from under the mountains speaks far louder. Solheimajokull glacier is part of the ice cap sealing Katla, a volcano 10 times more powerful than neighboring Eyjafjoell, whose eruption last week clogged Europe’s skies with ash and grounded the continent’s airlines. If Katla blows up, the current eruption will resemble “a small rehearsal,” Iceland’s president, Olafur Grimsson, warned. The frightening reputation of Katla is mirrored in a savage landscape of black volcanic ridges, blue ice, and snow swept and hardened by powerful winds. Reaching the glacier requires a four-wheel-drive vehicle, or mountaineering equipment and snowmobiles to go further. During a visit Thursday, a huge raven on a boulder was the sole living creature visible.... MORE   Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100425com7.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL Manny and Willie show FRONTLINE Simplified FEATURE Gandhi’s sex life laid bare in new book BLURBAL THRUSTS Ampatuan’s warden promoted TABLETS OF STONE Endorsement, endearment and elitism VIEWPOINTS Don Quijote de la Mancha FEATURE Katla, the ‘witch’ volcano, looms over Iceland