CNN: Hekla, one of Iceland’s most famous volcanoes, may be about to erupt. Sensors around the volcano have picked up unusual movements over the past few days. The sensors are newly installed, and the data from them aren’t seen as a definite indication of an impending explosion, but the volcano has been expanding steadily over the past several years. The volcano has erupted once every 10 years since 1970, with the last eruption occurring in 2000 after a minimal warning; magma reached the surface about 90 minutes after a series of earthquakes. Hekla usually erupts with both lava and ash, unlike Eyjafjallajokull and its massive ash cloud, which disrupted air traffic and caused the cancellation of thousands of flights a day when it erupted last year. If Hekla’s eruption follows expectations, its effect on air traffic should be minimal.
For the UNESCO section chief, “striking a balance between global coherence and respect for national ownership and cultural diversity is both essential and complex.”
May 13, 2026 01:46 PM
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