Iceland eruption volcano case study Flashcards
(12 cards)
EJK volcano is located in
iceland
when was the eruption
2010
Causes: plates and type of plate margin:
A divergent plate movement between eurasian and north american plates caused the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull
Description of eruption:
first there was a small eruption of basaltic lava. a more explosive phase occurred beneath the glacier, as magma met meltwater, triggering violent phreatomagmatic activity. This sent a massive ash plume up to 9 km into the atmosphere. The fine ash was carried by strong winds across Europe, causing widespread disruption to air travel. The eruption lasted for several weeks, producing both ash clouds and lava flows
Short-term impacts:
Vehicle accidents
Injuries
Long-term impacts:
20 farms were destroyed by the flooding and the ash.
Fine ash silted the rivers caused blockages a year on.
The fine grain ash posed a problem to airplanes as it can enter engines or turn into a glassy substance due to the heat of the jet engine.
The 150m thick ice cap melted which caused major flooding to Iceland and 700 people were evacuated.
Response:
Iceland was prepared for this eruption because the first small eruption occurred on the 20th of March and they were prepared for larger eruptions.
High tech equipment was used to predict the further eruptions.
Iceland had a good warning system with texts being sent to residents with a 30 minute Warning.
The emergency services were well prepared.
what type of volcano is it
composite
ash cloud rose how many km into atmosphere ?
9km
how many flights cancelled in europe
100,000
located on what type of plate boundary ?
constructive
what caused it ?
the North American Plate drifting from the Eurasian Plate along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, creating a magma reservoir beneath the volcano.
