After 800 years of stillness, a volcano system has woken
up in Iceland,
spewing lava above ground at least five times in recent
months,
first in December, then again in January,
February, March and now most recently in May,
sending destructive lava flowing towards the town of Grindavik.
So why does this keep happening,
and will it happen again?
Iceland is a country forged by fire and ice.
The island sits on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
A mostly underwater mountain range where tectonic plates are slowly
spreading apart and widening the Atlantic Ocean.
This force has been building up over hundreds of years
and is the main reason for the ongoing eruptions.
Iceland consists of three zones of volcanic activity,
the North, East and West.
The recent activity is part of the West Volcanic Zone,
which until recently hadn't been active since 1200.
Once a volcanic rift zone is activated,
experts say it could be active for decades or centuries
to come,
while the Northern and eastern volcanic zones are in relatively
remote areas.
The western zone is near population centers.
Volcanic explosions have already led to property and infrastructure damage.