Highly read on geology.gsapubs.org in August

There could be a high risk of extensive ash clouds from Icelandic volcanoes wafting across Europe soon, causing disruption similar to that which occurred as a result of the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull on 20 March last year.

Graeme Swindles at the University of Leeds, UK, and his colleagues found traces of volcanic ash from Iceland in peats and lake sediments across northern Europe. These, along with historical records, suggest that ash clouds from Icelandic eruptions have, on average, reached northern Europe every 56 years or so over the past 1,000 years. The team estimates that there is at least a 16% likelihood of this happening in any given ten-year period.

Geology 39, 887–890 (2011)