2010 in Iceland

← 2009 2008 2007 2010 in Iceland → 2011 2012 2013
Decades:	1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s
See also:	Other events of 2010 Timeline of Icelandic history

The following lists events that happened in 2010 in Iceland .

Incumbents

• President – Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson
• Prime Minister – Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir

Events

January

• January 2 - A quarter of voters in Iceland sign a petition asking President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson to veto a bill on repaying US$5 billion to foreign savers who lost their money when Icelandic banks collapsed. ^[1]
• January 5 - President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson announces a referendum during a live televised speech. ^[2]

March

• March 6 - Iceland holds a referendum about compensating the United Kingdom and the Netherlands after the collapse of the Icesave bank, with a 95% "no" vote recorded. ^[3]
• The Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland shows increased seismic activity. ^[4]
• March 20 - Eyjafjallajökull erupts, starting mass destruction in Europe. ^{[5] [6]}

April

• Scientists use the NOAA HYSPLIT model to track ash dispersion of Eyjafjallajökul.
• April 13 - An American Boeing 767 passenger jet makes an emergency landing in Iceland after reports of chemical fumes in the cabin. A spokesman for Keflavik airport outside Reykjavík says several crew members on the American Airlines flight had complained of dizziness. ^[7]
• April 14 - Eyjafjallajökul eruption reaches central crater, melting ice & creating massive ash plumes. Air traffic is closed over Northern Norway as the ash cloud drifts towards Europe. ^{[8] [9] [10]}
• April 14 - Scotland and Northern England airspace is closed due to the oncoming ash cloud.
• April 14 - 800 people, mostly farmers, are evacuated from Eyjafjallajökul.
• April 14 - The ash cloud reduces visibility to less than 1 kilometre in some places.
• April 15 - The ash cloud reaches Shetland, and the locals report a strong sulfuric smell.
• April 15 - All British airspace is closed down due to the cloud.
• April 16 - NASA’s Terra satellite captures images of ash drifting over northern Europe as it reaches 5km in height.
• April 17 - Ash plume rises over 8km. ^[11]
• April 18 - Increased tremor levels are detected, and GPS data shows ground deformation.
• April 19 - Ice cauldrons enlarge, and minor glacial flooding begins.
• April 24 - The IES starts detailed daily status reports on the eruption as mild explosive activity continues.

May

• Airspace reopens gradually after the Eyjafjallajökul eruption, as researchers continue to help assess safety risks.
• May 4 - Lava flow reaches 500 m elevation from Eyjafjallajökul.
• May 18 - Volcanic activity remains stable as the magma eruption rate stabilizes at 200 tonnes/second.
• May 25 - Only steam is now observed from Eyjafjallajökul.

References

1. "Icesave Pressure Increasing on Iceland's President". 2 January 2010. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
2. "Iceland leader vetoes bank repayments bill". 5 January 2010. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
3. "Iceland holds referendum on Icesave repayment plan". 6 March 2010. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
4. "Eyjafjallajökull 2010: How an Icelandic volcano eruption closed European skies". NCAS. 2020-06-19. Retrieved 2025-02-26.
5. "Volcano erupts in south Iceland". 21 March 2010. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
6. "Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull Volcano, Iceland". earthobservatory.nasa.gov. 2010-04-16. Retrieved 2025-02-26.
7. "US plane makes emergency landing in Iceland". 13 April 2010. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
8. "Iceland Eruption Affects Air Traffic in Norway". 14 April 2010. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
9. Booth, Robert; Carrell, Severin (2010-04-15). "Iceland volcano: First came the floods, then the smell of rotten eggs". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2025-02-26.
10. Gunnarsson, Valur (2010-04-15). "Iceland volcano: Hundreds evacuated after eruption". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2025-02-26.
11. Global Volcanism Program, 2010. Report on Eyjafjallajokull (Iceland) (Venzke, E., ed.). Bulletin of the Global Volcanism Network, 35:4. Smithsonian Institution. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.GVP.BGVN201004-372020