E15 Flashcards
(12 cards)
1
Q
Name of plates
A
North American and eurasian plate
2
Q
Type of boundary
A
constructive
3
Q
Type of volcano
A
shield
4
Q
Date of eruption
A
13th april 2010
5
Q
Causes of eruption
A
- Convection currents due to differential heating in the mantle pull the Eurasian and the North American plates away from each other. The North American plate is moving west, while the Eurasian plate is moving east. This is a constructive boundary on the Mid Atlantic Ridge.
- It is also a hotspot – lots of magma near the surface.
- As plates pull apart, the magma is forced up through the cracks in the crust, creating a volcano
- The magma solidifies and creates a shield volcano due to basic, runny lava.
- Over time, successive eruptions build the volcano up.
- When it erupted lava melted the glacier on top. The very hot lava shattered on contact with the very cold water creating a huge volume of as
6
Q
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
A
- Glaciers melted causing flooding with up to 3000 cubic metres per second flowing through the River Markarfljot
- Over 1000 million cubic metres of tephra was ejected
- The ash cloud was about 10km high
- Over 100 million cubic metres of lava erupted
- The volcanoes erupted underneath hundreds of tonnes of ice. The hot lava caused the ice to melt, this caused a huge flood that effected local people. 800 people had to be evacuated from their homes
- Waters in rivers rose by up to 2 meters
- A main road was completely washed into the sea by the flood
- The ash falling killed the crops but due to the added nutrients the crop yields following the event increased
7
Q
SOCIAL IMPACTS
A
- Flights were cancelled and there was a disruption at airports - people were stranded all around the world – many missed important events such as weddings, funerals or work meetings.
- Part of Route 1 (Iceland’s main road) was washed away – making it difficult for people to get back to the capital city
- Fresh food imports stopped – shortage of fresh produce in the shops
- Local water supplies were contaminated by fluoride
- Roads were closed to prevent access to the area when flooding was forecast
- Locals had to wear goggles and face masks as the ash was so thick
- Horses and other farm animals had to be sheltered indoors, away from ash fall
- Sporting events had to be cancelled because teams could not travel there
8
Q
ECONOMIC IMPACTS
A
- The Kenya Flower Council stated that 3000 tonnes of flowers were destroyed during the flight ban as flowers could not be sent to the European market
- Over 50,000 Kenyan farmers were temporarily unemployed as their beans and peas could not be sold
- Crops were damaged by ash fall
- Flights were cancelled affecting 10 million travellers and costing airline companies £200 million a day
- An estimated £1.1 billion was lost by airplane companies
- In total 27 countries in Europe were affected
- In the UK there were a shortage of flowers, fruit and electronic goods in the days during the eruption
- Medicines were also affected as they passed their use by date and new ones that were made in other countries could not be brought in by plane
9
Q
Short term responses
A
- About 500 families were evacuated overnight, helped by police and search and rescue teams
- Extra equipment was installed to monitor the volcano water levels and temperature on the glacial rivers
- The Markarfljot Bridge on Route 1 was removed so that it wouldn’t be destroyed
- The Icelandic Red Cross set up help centres for locals and stranded tourists, providing shelter and food
- Icelandic Search and rescue teams were stationed at the eruption site to enforce access restriction
10
Q
long term responses
A
- New regulations have been published about aircraft flying in ash clouds
- Ash was cleared from the farmland
- Further research has taken place into the effects of ash on aircraft
- The Markarfljot Bridge on Route 1 had been rebuilt and roads have been reconstructed
- Ash has been dug up from the borrow of rivers to makes them deeper
- The Icelandic Ref Cross has provided free counselling services to children who were distraught after being evacuated from farms
- Compensation was paid by insurance companies to stranded travellers
11
Q
Opportunities that the volcano provided for the people of iceland
A
- New hotels and visitor attractions have been built to make the most of volcano tourism which is the biggest industry in Iceland- creating new jobs and income for the country (increasing GDP). Tourism is now the largest industry in Iceland
- Jewellery made from ash has been sold to tourists
- The slops of volcanoes are made of cooled lava which weather down to create rich fertile soil, perfect for farming – higher crop yields.
- The cooled lava can also create new land mass, especially on an island, and this can be beneficial for farmers running out of their own land
- Because of the earth and minerals eruptions push up, the slopes of volcanoes can be good for mining
- The energy of the Iceland volcanoes and vents is used by geothermal power stations and supplies the heating to around 85% of all households
- Thanks to volcanoes like Eyjafjallajokull and other volcanoes in Iceland such as Kayla and Hekla, Iceland has become one of the most geographically exciting places on the planet
12
Q
How to the predict, prepare, and prevent hazards associated with volcanoes in Iceland?
A
- There are over 80 seismometers on Iceland that measured the trembling of the Earth to help predict if there is going to be an eruption – these pick up earth movement
- There are also 120 GPS attends to monitor the Earth’s tectonic plate movement - to see if there are changes in the shape of the ground which may suggest magma is rising
- A text message system has been set up to warn people living within 30 minutes of the volcano if an eruption is likely – warning system so people can evacuate before na eruption and make preparations.
- Gas monitoring – rises in sulphur dioxide can suggest an eruption is likely
- Embankments along the river have been put in place to stop some areas getting flooded
