Erupting Icelandic volcano. Cut-away artwork of a volcanic eruption along the Reykjanes Ridge, the part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge that includes Iceland. The North American Plate is at left, the Eurasian Plate is at right. Beneath the volcano are a number of feeder dikes that carry the lava (orange) from the magma chamber below to the vents. This is a fissure eruption, where basaltic lava erupts through a linear vent. The lava fountains are often described as a curtain of fire. The eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in March and April 2010 that led to the closing of European airspace was an example of a fissure explosion.