Case Study: EYJAFJALLAJOKULL Volcano 2010 Flashcards
What type of plate boundary is Eyjafjallajokull on?
Constructive
Where is Eyjafjallajokull?
Southern Iceland
Which plates meet on the boundary?
The North American and Eurasian
How fast are the plates moving?
2.5-15 cm per year
Why does magma rise?
Because there’s lower pressure at the surface
What is a jökulhlaup?
A flow of meltwater from a volcano and ice cap
How many people died in the eruption?
0
How many people were evacuated?
500 farmers and their families
What happened to the roads around the volcano before the eruption?
They were shut down to prevent people using them
What did ash do to local water supplies?
Contaminated them with high concentrations of fluoride
How is ash redistributed?
By winds, pumped high into the atmosphere above Northern and Western Europe
Why were there such disruptions to aircraft?
The particles in the ash clog up the plane engines as they attempt to fly through them
How much money was lost per day by airlines?
£130 m according to the IATA
How many flights were cancelled?
107,000 - 48% of total air traffic affecting 10 m people
How did the eruption affect Kenya?
20% of their economy is based on export of green vegetables and flowers to Europe and are transported by air
How many Kenyan farmers were temporarily unemployed?
50,000
How much CO2 was released into the air every day of the eruption?
30,000 tonnes
How did people in rural areas of Iceland have to protect themselves?
They had to wear goggles and face masks to prevent them inhaling ash or it getting into their eyes. Visibility was less than a few metres
What was done to the main road in Iceland as a primary response to eruption warnings?
The embankments were removed and the road collapsed to prevent further damage by floodwaters
How did the Icelandic Red Cross respond?
By mobilising 35 staff and volunteers, opening 4 shelters allowing 200+ people to take refuge there
How did Amsterdam’s Schipol airport respond?
1500 beds were there for stranded travellers
What was done to roads after the eruption?
They were reconstructed, including Icelands Route 1 to allow people to move around the country again
How were flood defences responded to?
They were reconstructed and strengthened to protect locals from any further flooding
What kinds of research were done in response?
Research into the effects of ash on aircraft so that if a similar eruption were to happen then the losses could be minimised
What was the response to Iceland’s rivers?
The ash was dug out of the bottom of them to make them deeper and prevent further flooding
What did the Icelandic National Society do?
Provided psychological support particularly for children who had been traumatised by the loud explosions from the eruption
The USGS provided…
….scientists for the ICAO’s international task force and worked with the UK met office to improve ash forecasting
