A subglacial eruption broke out beneath the Grímsvötn glacial lake in Iceland's Vatnajökull glacier on the evening of 1 November 2004, sending a column of ash and dark smoke 14 kilometers into the sky.
Iceland's Meteorologic Institute said the blast was preceded by a series of earthquakes and may have been set off by the recent draining of Grímsvötn lake, which had already triggered glacial flooding in the area. Scientists had been watching the site for two weeks and alerted aviation authorities on Friday that an eruption was imminent.
All aircraft over Iceland were diverted, including 10 transatlantic flights, with a hazard corridor spanning several hundred kilometers between Iceland and northern Norway. Officials cautioned that a wind shift toward the south or west could push the daily count of affected flights above 50.
Geologists logged this as the 13th subglacial eruption at the location since 1902; a major event had struck the same area in 1998. The plume was visible from the town of Egilsstadir, 130 kilometers to the northeast, and still stood nine kilometers high at midday on 2 November. No structural damage was reported, though police briefly closed a main national highway as a precaution. Scientists said the eruption could continue for up to two weeks.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this AFP wire report, first published in November 2004, in its own words.