How fake news about Katla volcano eruption could put lives at risk

The Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull made worldwide headlines in 2010 when it erupted ash that was blown towards Europe, so that air traffic was grounded across the continent. More recently, the volcano’s bigger sister and neighbour, Katla, has also been in the news. First the papers said the “giant volcano” was ready to blow, yet within days articles were appearing to say it was all a mistake and the eruption news was premature. What is going on?

Over the past 1,100 years, Katla has erupted at least 21 times - an average of around once every 50 years or so. It