Eyjafjallajokull Eruption Iceland 2010 Flashcards
When was the eruption
It began erupting in March 2010 but the most explosive phase was from the 21st to the 24th April 2010
Where is Eyjafjallajokull
The volcano is in the southern part of Iceland under the Eyjafjallajokull glacier.
Why was there a lot of ash
When lava came out the volcano it cooled very quickly as the glacier was on top of it. This made the lava shatter into small fragments of ash. Melted glacier water went into the vent causing steam which made the ash go up to 10km in the air.
What plate boundary is Eyjafjallajokull
Eyjafjallajokull is situated on the Mid-Atlantic ridge a constructive plate boundary. Eurasian plate moving Eastwards and North American plate moving Westwards
Where is the glacier
In Eyjafjallajokull, the glacier was on top of the volcano
What were the environmental impacts of the volcano
Volcano released lots of greenhouse gases which harm the environment. On the other hand, it benefitted the environment as it cancelled 95,000 flights
What do some say about the volcano for the future
Some say that volcano is just awakening and that longer eruptions lasting two years have happened and may happen again. This sort of eruption may cause the volcano next to it Mount Katla to explode which is bigger and more chaotic
Where did large amounts of ashfall
A lot of ash fell on the town Vik
What happened further down the glacier
Areas downstream and around the volcano were flooded due to the glacier melting
Did anyone die
No, but ash fell on large amounts of land near the volcano killing animals
How were airlines affected
Lots of European airspace closed. British airspace closed for 6 days. 95,000 flights cancelled taking many weeks to clear all backlog. Global airlines lost £1.1 billion pounds in total. Tens of thousands of people stranded and 1.2 million couldn’t fly.
What were some effects
Producers of perishable goods hit hard as goods left in the airport. Nissan stopped production for a day as components couldn’t be imported. Brought European planes to a standstill. 1.2 million people couldn’t fly. Many people missed weddings, funerals or holidays as they couldn’t get on a plane. People with asthma couldn’t go outside out of fears too much ash was in the air. Many people who lived under flight paths enjoyed quiet for a few days.
What were some responses
UK PM at the time Gordon Brown had 3 nay ships to get stranded Britain’s to return home. Ryanair had extra flights and paid for stranded costumers’ food and accommodation. Thomas Cook sent rescue planes to get people back returning 2,500 passengers. Insurance companies refused to pay as they said it was an act of god and exempt from payment. Emergency services in Iceland evacuated hundreds of people before they were flooded.
