Eyjafjallajokull Case Study

    Cards (18)

    • The eruption was on the 20th March 2010
    • The mountain lies within one of the country’s east volcanic zone
    • Its highest point rises to 5,466 feet (1,666 meters) above sea level.
    • The name is derived from “the island’s mountain glacier.”
    • Divergent plate boundary – North American plate and Eurasian plate. The two plates are pulling apart, allowing magma to rise and cool. This repeated to create Iceland on the Mid Atlantic Ridge. Iceland will continue to grow.
    • Icelandic mountains build up due to layers of lava
    • The volcano is a composite volcano
    • 500 meter fissure opened up.
    • Happened underneath ice sheet (caused a lahar)
    • Ash cloud = 10km high.
    • First phase = lava, second phase = 2.5km wide Caldera beneath ice cap near the summit of the volcano (14th April).
    • Sunday 18th April = 750 tonnes of magma ejected.
    • Tuesday 20th April = plume only reaching 4km.
    • 1/4 billion m3 of ash put out.
    • Social Impacts:
      -Wear goggles and facemasks as ash was thick.
      -500 local cattle farmers and families evacuated.
      -Roads surrounding volcanoes were shut.
      -Schools across Europe impacted.
      -10 million stranded.
      -No deaths.
    • Economic Impacts:
      -Airlines lost £130 million per day in revenues.
      -Tourism lost between £5 million and £6 million.
      -More people on the Eurostar, increased by 1/3.
      -Exporters of perishable goods from Africa e.g. Kenyan farmers affected. £2.8 billion lost.
      -Flights cancelled = staff stranded, and meetings cancelled.
    • Environmental Impacts:
      -Ash from volcano deposited iron into the north Atlantic triggering a plankton bloom = eutrophication, fish dying.
      -Mass grounding of flights prevented the emission of some 2.8 million tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere.
      -Major flooding as lava resulted in ice water melt = 700 people evacuated.
    • Responses:
      -Warnings were made.
      -Animals moved out of danger zones.
      -500 cattle farming families were evacuated.
      -Diverted lava flows by spraying sea water on lava.
      -Red cross provided food for farming population.
      -2010 world air space representatives met to discuss the future (they remade airspace zones to minimise disruption if a similar event occurred in the future)
      -Water pollution by fluoride impacted sheep.
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