Eyjafjallajokull Iceland Volcanoes Case Study

Question 1

When did the volcanic eruption occur?

Answer 1

April and may 2010

Question 2

What plate boundary does Iceland sit at?

Answer 2

• Divergent plate boundaries
• east - Eurasian plate boundary
• west - north american plate boundary
• iceland sits astride the mid atlantic ocean ridge.
• iceland also sits on a hotspot

Question 3

explosivity of volcano?

Answer 3

4 on the VEI index

Question 4

what caused the volcanic eruption.

Answer 4

The volcano was overlain by an ice cap and as the magma rose to the surface, the lava that was emitted passed through the ice and melted through it. the mix of water and the lava increased the explosivity and helped eject ash high into the atmosphere where it caused the most serious impacts of the eruption (this is called a phreatic eruption)

Question 5

Responses

Answer 5

• immediate responses were the evacuation of the area
• long term responses including further research into the effects of ash on aircraft
• reconstruction of roads and local flood defenced also needed reconstructing

Question 6

Economic impacts

Answer 6

• shares in air travel and tourism dropped by 4%
• less fuel was needed and so 1.87 million barrels were not in demand causing a loss of money in the oil industry
• it was estimated that London lost £102 million of tourist income which caused a knock-on effect for workers, travelling and businesses.
• 17, 000 flights cancelled, 6 days of no flying (across Europe
• overall 95k flights cancelled
• $2 billion loss overall to the airline and tourism industry

Question 7

location

Answer 7

• Eyjafjallajokull is a small volcano (about 402km) within the chain of volcanoes in the SE rift zone
• it is the most southerly volcano on mainland Iceland before Surtsey in the sea in the south-west
• it is a relatively small volcano and is located W of Katla volcano

Question 8

key Facts

Answer 8

• on the 12th April, a second volcanic fissure opened
• scientists measured a 3.2 magnitude earthquake
• the earthquake was close to the surface
• this suggested that magma was on the move again

Question 9

The eruption

Answer 9

1. ) small cracks, or fissures, in the Earth’s crust allow molten magma to force its way towards the surface.
2. ) magma chambers are formed close to the surface. Magma collects in these.
3. ) As more magma is stored in the chamber pressure builds up. Eventually, the pressure is strong enough to start up an eruption.

Question 10

social impacts

Answer 10

• the ash is carried towards Southeast (direction of Europe), away from most of the inhabited areas of Iceland.
• 800 people evacuated
• some had to wear masks and goggles due to how thick the volcanic ash was
• homes, roads and services were disrupted
• local flood defence had to be constructed
• local water supplies were contaminated with fluoride from the ash.

Question 11

environmental impacts

Answer 11

• 150m thick ice cap melted, caused major flooding, 800 evacuated.
• destroyed parts of main roads
• fine ash caused blockages in the river
• 20 farms destroyed by flood and ash.