Not everyone knows where Mount Hekla volcano on the map.Everyone on the lips of his fellow with the unpronounceable name, which in 2010 forced the passengers of flights to recall a bad word Iceland and its magmatic activity.But Hekla is much more dangerous and insidious its smoky sister.From its vents are not usually sees a column of ash, which is able to score jet engines and most natural fountain of fire, lava and volcanic bombs.Hekla capricious, unpredictable, secretive.Icelanders anoint their volcanoes only female names.Perhaps they know the strength and power of the representatives of the beautiful half of humanity, when they bring something out of balance - the weaker sex of these moments is not exactly call.And about Hekla and Katla about her sister on the island of legends.Let's get acquainted with the fire-breathing monster.
Gateway to Hell
If you asked a medieval Cistercian monk about where the Hekla volcano, he did not hesitate to answer that at the entrance to the underworld.The souls of sinners, leaving the body, immediately rush through the mouth into the eternal fire which gnashing of teeth.A certain monk Benedict, singing in verse the life of St. Brendan, called the Hekla dungeon Judah.And just before the XIX century Icelanders were convinced that at the top of this volcano on Easter Witch flock to his coven.Why Hekla caused local residents such awe, fear and admiration at the same time?Since then, people have occupied the island, the headstrong beauty shows off her explosive temper more than twenty times.And the approach of "hysteria" is difficult to predict.The name "Hecla" is derived from the name of a short coat with a hood.On top of the mountain there is always a cloud, from a distance resembling a hood.
What the scientists say?
geographical coordinates of the volcano Hekla - 63,98 ° northern latitude and 19,70 ° east longitude.It is located in the southwestern part of Iceland, about a hundred kilometers from the capital city of Reykjavik.By type stratovolcano Hekla refers to.It was formed from the linear cracks.Because of the frequent eruptions height of the mountain is changing.For example, in 1948 it amounted to 1 502 m, but subsequently the edge of the crater collapsed.Now growth Hekla is 1488 m. It is part of an extended ridge collapsed andesitic and basaltic lavas.Volcanic crack reaches a length of five kilometers.But at the age of Hekla in geological terms about infant - only 6 600 years.
major eruption
However, in such a short history of the volcano Hekla in Iceland had mischief repeatedly.Dendrochronology (the study of climate change on the fossil plants) to determine that four thousand years, and also 2800 years ago there was a major eruption of the volcano.A pillar of smoke lowered the temperature in the northern hemisphere for a few years, and traces of volcanic ash, scientists have discovered in the peat bogs of Ireland and Scotland, as well as in continental Europe.The first recorded in written sources eruption occurred in 1104.Once the slopes of the mountain were covered with forests, but now they are completely naked.Iceland's government wants to implement a fabulously expensive project on gardening range.
calm down if the volcano Hekla in time?
Scientists have discovered a pattern: the longer the period of time between eruptions, the shattering violence of these attacks.But fortunately now Volcano "chudit" has consistently once a decade.In the twentieth century, it erupted in 1947-48, 1970, 1980, 1981, 1991 and 2000.Recent devastating events that caused human casualties, occurred in 1766 and 1947-1948.But in the twenty-first century, the volcano Hekla has not yet manifested itself.And it's alarming.Since the capricious nature of beauty is really unpredictable.Seismologists say that, unlike other volcanoes, Hekla have a very short period between the start of the eruption and lava emission.Therefore, the disposal of the rescue quite a bit of time to evacuate people.
waiting to burst
Considering that the volcano Hekla last erupted in late February 2000, and at the end of the twentieth century, seismic activity was renewed every ten years, scientists are waiting for a new explosion from day to day.Hard to imagine what it will be.Sometimes the eruption took place within a few days, and in 1947 Hekla brawler more than a year.To protect people from the effects of the earthquake and the new release of lava ash, geophysics laid at a depth of sixteen kilometers from the top of the sensors, which transmit all the information about the state of the magma inside the volcano cracks and craters.So far, no movement in the depths of Hekla have been identified.Some sites on the surface of a volcanic hot, but on the island of Iceland that will surprise nobody.By the crater walking tours are held, and the government says that they are absolutely safe for the life of tourists.
