Katla is one of the largest volcanoes in Iceland and a difficult neighbour. The broad summit is buried under Myrdalsjokull glacier's thick, icy blanket. When Katla starts to simmer, the threat of a powerful eruption under the ice develops. An eruption causes a glacial burst, forcing a vast quantity of melt water out from under the ice. It doesn't last long but the volume of water in the resulting catastrophic flood can reach an average flow rate equal to that of the largest river in the world, the Amazon.
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