Volcanc Hazards - The Big E Flashcards
Where is Iceland geographically located ?
Iceland is located right on top of the mid Atlantic ridge. An area well know for its seismic and volcanic events . Here two oceanic plates are pulling apart , creating a rift . This is a constructive plate margin .
What is the name created by magma In 1963 and how did it help in the 1973 eruption of heimay?
The Newley created island was called Surtsey . It taught vulcanologists realise how the magma reacted as it came into contact with the cool ocean waters , this info saved the port of heimay.
When did the magma first break through the crust at the big E and what did it begin to do ?
It first broke through during March 2010 , this magma then began to melt away at the glacier above.
When did the eruptions become more intense and why ?
The eruptions became increasingly violent on the 14th of April , when the water mixed with the silica in the lava .
What did the mixture of silica and water make and what did this do ?
The mixture of these two liquids created fine glassy ash which rose high into the atmosphere.
Which direction did the ash begin to travel ?
The ash headed in a southeastern direction , towards Europe.
What happened to the rest of the melt water ?
It traveled down towards the sea , along its way destroying many main roads and decimating land.
How did Iceland react to the eruption?
Thousands were evacuated from the danger zone and farmers , bought as many of their cattle in to barns in order to protect them .
What was a social economic affect of the eruption in Iceland?
Communication and transportation infrastructure was disrupted . Costing the country £12 million to repair .
Tourism to the country was also affected as planes couldn’t fly .
What was an affect on agriculture in Iceland ?
Due to the growing season being short in Iceland , crops for the year were heavily damaged leading to food shortages. Especially in fodder crops to feed the animals.
Were any homes destroyed in Iceland ? If so where and by what ?
Homes directly to the south were destroyed by ash fall .
What was the percentage of flights grounded across Europe and for how long? What was the affects of this ?
48% of all air traffic was grounded for an 8 day period . This cost airline companies an estimated £1 billion and thirteen firms failed that summer .
What were the affects on certain business types ?
Business who use jIT inventories were affected by the lack of imported parts and raw materials. Including business like Nissan in the uk and apple in Japan.
What did the lack of transportation mean for fresh produce business?
The produce couldn’t be transported to Northern Europe and therefore perished , affecting supermarkets and producers world wide.
What was one of the worst affected areas of the lack of flights?
School were very badly affected as both teachers and students who had gone away for Easter couldn’t make it in to school as they were stranded abroad .
