Iceland Volcanic Activity: Eyjafjallajokull & Katla

Eyjafjallajokull. Yep. That’s a volcano in Iceland. This baby erupted on Saturday night, resulting in the dramatics above.

Although it looks scary, the Eyjafjallajokull eruption itself was rather tame, scientists say. A nearby town was evacuated for fear of flooding, but the residents have since returned.

The Eyjafjallajokull will likely continue spurting out magma for weeks — if not months – but the volume of the eruption is not expected to increase. In fact, there’s already talk of turning the Iceland volcanic activity into a tourist attraction.

Meanwhile, all eyes are on Katla, another Island volcano with a much more vicious track record. Scientists aren’t quite sure why, but every Eyjafjallajokull eruption for centuries has been followed by a Katla eruption.