Case study - Eyjafjallajokull

Question 1

What sort of plate boundary is this volcano on?

Answer 1

Constructive, Iceland is part of the mid-Atlantic ridge.

The Eurasian plate moving slowly eastwards and the North American plates is moving westwards.

The two plates are diverging.

Question 2

Where in Iceland is the volcano located?

Answer 2

Under the Eyjafjallajokull glacier.

The glacier is up to 200m thick.

Question 3

How developed is the economy of Iceland?

Answer 3

Iceland is a developed country with a population of 330,000 (2015) and GDP of $50,000 per person per year on average.

According to the World Bank this is the 10th highest GDP per head in the world. (UK is $44,000, Burundi is the lowest with $277).

Question 4

When did the eruption take place?

Answer 4

March – May 2010.

Eruption begins on 20th March, explosive phase 14-21 April, drop in activity and then increased activity at start of May

Question 5

How high did the ask plume rise?

Answer 5

The ash plume rose to 9 km

Question 6

How many cubic metres of ash cloud were produced?

Answer 6

250 million cubic metres of ash cloud were produced

Question 7

What was unusual about the way the lava cooled?

Answer 7

As the lava came out of the volcano it cooled very quickly as the ice from to glacier was above it.

This sudden temperature change caused the lava to shatter into tiny fragments of ash.

Question 8

How did the presence of glacier melt water in the vent affect the ash?

Answer 8

Glacier melt water poured into the vent creating steam that carries the ash to heights of 6-10km and took it directly into the jet stream

Question 9

How many flights were cancelled because of the eruption?

Answer 9

95,000 flights cancelled

Question 10

What road was damaged in Iceland by the eruption?

Answer 10

The road that circles around Iceland was damaged.

Question 11

How did the jet stream affect the eruption?

Answer 11

The volcano is directly under the normal path of the jet stream and so this accelerated the spread of ash in the atmosphere.

Question 12

What may happen in the future to the neighbouring volcano Mount Katla?

Answer 12

Scientists say Eyjafjallajokull is just entering an active phase and its neighbour Mount Katla may also be triggered by its activity.

Katla is bigger and would cause even more havoc

Question 13

Which town in Iceland was damaged?

Answer 13

Large amounts of volcanic ash fell onto the town of Vik in Iceland

Question 14

Was flooding a problem?

Answer 14

Yes. Areas around the glacier were flooded by melt water from the glacier.

Question 15

Was land around the volcano affected?

Answer 15

Yes. Land near the volcano was covered by ash which poisoned animals.

Question 16

What was the specific threat to planes from the ash?

Answer 16

Eurocontrol air traffic control closed all airports because of the risk of ash causing aircraft engines to malfunction.

Fine abrasive particles erode metal, clog fuel and cooling systems and melt to form glassy deposits.

Question 17

How long was British Aerospace closed?

Answer 17

After being closed for 6 days British aerospace reopened.

Question 18

How long did it take to clear the backlog of flights?

Answer 18

It took several weeks to clear the back log of flights

Question 19

How much revenue did airlines lose?

Answer 19

Airlines lost an estimated £1.2 billion of revenue because flights had to be cancelled.

Question 20

What effect did it have on business people?

Answer 20

Tens of thousands of people were stranded unable to get to work. Businesses around the world were affected.

Question 21

How much revenue from tourism did London lose because people were not able to fly in?

Answer 21

London lost an estimated £100 million from tourists not being able to visit

Question 22

How many barrels of oil were saved by the cancellation of flights?

Answer 22

2 million barrels of oil were not used for aircraft fuel so the oil industry lost revenue

Question 23

What happened to good normally transported by air into Europe?

Answer 23

Producers of perishable goods (fruit, vegetables, fish, meat, flowers) could not sell their produce as goods transported by aeroplane could not be transported

Question 24

What did the car maker Nissan have to do?

Answer 24

The car maker Nissan had to cancel production for one day as it could not import components needed to make its cars.

Question 25

What was the total number of passengers who had flights cancelled?

Answer 25

1.2 million passengers could not fly.

Many people missed weddings, funerals or holidays

Question 26

What were the benefits for people living under flight paths?

Answer 26

Many people who live under aeroplane flight paths enjoyed the silence for a few days!

Question 27

Did doctors issue any warnings to people outside Iceland about the ash?

Answer 27

The ash had little effect at ground level in Europe but those with lung problems (asthma, bronchitis, emphysema) or heart disease were advised by doctors to stay inside

Question 28

How were Icelandic farms near the earthquake affected?

Answer 28

Icelandic farms near to the volcano were damaged and their animals poisoned which destroyed the farmers’ businesses.

Question 29

How did Iceland manage the evacuation of people?

Answer 29

Emergency services in Iceland evacuated hundreds of people before water from the melting glacier flowed downhill.

500 farmers and their families were evacuated. 700 people in total were evacuated. No one died. Few buildings were damaged

Question 30

What did the UK Prime Minister, Gordon Brown do to help people?

Answer 30

UK Prime minister, Gordon Brown, ordered 3 British Navy ships to go to Iceland to bring people home.

Question 31

What were Ryanair forced to do?

Answer 31

Ryanair was forced to pay for passenger’s food an accommodation in Spain when they had to stay longer because their flights were cancelled.

Question 32

What did Thomas Cook the UK travel company do?

Answer 32

Thomas Cook the travel company sent rescue planes to Cancun in Mexico, Heraklion in Crete and Sharm-el-Sheik in Egypt and returned 2500 passengers.

Question 33

Why is this a good example of how disaster planning in a MEDC can help save lives?

Answer 33

No one died in the eruption.

Question 34

What sort of volcano is it?

Answer 34

A shield volcano (shallow sides and runny lava). Less dangerous than the more explosive composite volcanoes.