Eyjafjiallajökull 2010 Eruption

Question 1

Iceland Background information

Answer 1

Population: 318,000 (2010)
Population density: 3.09 per km² (2010)
Highly developed nation: HDI of 0.902 ranking 19/187 (2010) Life expectancy of 81.9 years (2010) and a GDP per capita of $43,237 (2010)

Question 2

Date, time and Location

Answer 2

Date: March 20, 2010 (eruptive activity until June 2010)
Time: 11:52PM (local time)
Location: Southern Iceland

Question 3

Eruption Information

Answer 3

Plates: Divergent plate boundary (mid - Atlantic ridge) between Eurasian and North American Plate
Magnitude: 4 (VEI)
Duration: Eruption was declared officially over in October 2010 (5 months)

Question 4

Social Impacts

Answer 4

95,000 flights cancelled - 400,000 Britons stranded abroad
No deaths
Cancelled flights and closed transport links meant that organs for donations and transplants couldn’t be delivered

Question 5

Economic impacts

Answer 5

Total loss of $1.7 billion to the airline industry
Europe lost $2.6 billion in GDP
Imports and exports in and out of Europe fell drastically as air freight accounts for 25% of trade by value
Halted production of cars in Nissan plant in Japan
Flowers, fruits and vegetables grown in Kenya, Zambia and Ghana perished - these countries lost $65 million worth of produce

Question 6

Governance

Answer 6

Main road breached to divert pyroclastic flow to prevent damage to a bridge
Infrared sensors have been implemented into planes to detect and avoid ash
Eruption led to development of ash cloud models
Lava flow sprayed with cold sea water so that it quickly cooled

Question 7

Summary

Answer 7

The ice cap above the volcano melted resulting in a highly explosive eruption with a high silica content - unusual for a volcano formed at a divergent plate boundary. High quality international governance ensured no deaths from the disaster. However the areal extent of the eruption led to global disruption of travel and global supply chains.