Big E Erruption 2010

Question 1

Location, Date and regularity, type of volcano?

Answer 1

• Located on South Coast of Iceland 100km of Reykjavik on the mid Atlantic ridge (constructive boundary NA and E)
• Errupted on 14th April 2010 with a VEI of 4
• Had not erupted since 1823 but erupted several times in 2010
• Stratovolcano

Question 2

Primary impacts?

Answer 2

• over 100 million m3 of tephra ejected
• 150m thick ice cap melted which caused major flooding that destroyed over 20 farms
• 100,000 homes destroyed and 200,000 damaged
• 150,000 tonnes of CO2 emitted per day during peak activity

Question 3

Secondary impacts?

Answer 3

• Ash redistributed due to anticyclone weather over Britain so over 107,000 flights cancelled
• Cost airlines more than $1.7 billion due to 6 day travel ban
• 10 million people left stranded
• London lost $102 million in tourist income
• over 1.3 million made homeless
• Kenya couldn’t export perishable goods so over 50,000 farmers temporarily unemployed and $1.3 million lost daily
• 20% of global air cargo was delayed or rerouted

Question 4

Responses?

Answer 4

• Good warning system with text sent 30 mins before eruption
• 800 could therefore evacuate from immediate area
• Road along Markarfljot river was cut in several places to allow floodwaters carrying 10 million m3 of tephra to pass
• Rivers were also dredged to increase capacity
• Rock armour was constructed
• Future Volc was established in 2012 to integrate European volcano monitoring