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Summary Detailed case study descriptions on tectonics
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E15 2010 Eruption Iceland sits astride the Mid Atlantic Ridge.
Tectonic Setting The Eurasian plate moved eastward whilst the west of Iceland is moving towards the USA – divergent/
constructive plate boundary. New material (magma) rises from the earth’s mantle below to create new
rock at its spreading edges.
Iceland is also located over a hotspot in the upper mantle so that there is more magma production and
volcanic activity than might otherwise be expected in this location (a hotspot is where the earth’s crust
is thinner and easier for magma to upwell in the region.
Eruptions at constructive margins are generally less explosive than at destructive ones
Summary of
eruption event But, E15 had achieved a VEI of 4 when its ash plume was blown almost 10km into the atmosphere.
However, it is argued that its attributes better fit a VEI 2.
It was not the eruptive power that caused problems. The volcano was overlain by an icecap and as the
magma rose to the surface, the lava emitted passed through the ice and melted it. The mix of water
and lava increased the explosivity and helped eject ash high into the atmosphere where it caused the
most serious impacts of the eruption.
Social Homes and roads damaged and services disrupted – crops were destroyed by ash
and roads washed away
People asked to stay indoors due to ash in the air
Primary Some livelihoods destroyed as farms and falling ash poisoned animals
Economic 1,000 flights cancelled
The timing of the disruption was during Easter holidays when tourism is high
Local – Southern The fine ash could not easily be seen at high altitudes where jets fly.
Iceland
European region Icelandic ash is glassy containing 58% silica.
– UK,
Scandinavia, NW It can scour windscreens and reduce visibility, but the main problem is when it gets
Europe into engines, melts inside, and causes them to shut down.
Globally - USA
The ash can also block the air intakes and cause engines to fail.
Environmental Fluoride deposited from the volcano on the grazing land and could cause internal
haemorrhaging in cattle and sheep
Didn’t cause much impact on global temperatures as the material emitted from the
volcano contained relatively little sulphur (causing colder winters)
The interaction of magma with water created a plume of volcanic ash and gas over
10km
Social With very little air traffic, organs could not be delivered for transplants, computers
and car parts couldn’t reach factories.
, People used social networking in order to share costs e.g. of hiring a car to travel
from the south of France back to the UK
Secondary
Huge reductions in aircraft noise around major airports improved quality of life
temporarily
PM of Norway had to run his country from NYC as there were no trans-Atlantic
flights
Economic Fresh fish exports, a major local industry, were badly affected with loss of income
A positive impact however was that the Channel Tunnel and Cross Channel ferries
did a lot of extra business whilst the ash eruption lasted
Shares in airline companies and travel businesses fell
Europe lost $2.6 billion GDP due to eruption and a drop of 11.7% drop in air
passenger numbers
400,000 Britons stranded worldwide as the eruption occurred during Easter break
National Trust UK gave free entry to any foreign visitor who could provide an airline
ticket for the affected period and their passport. This was in return for the kindness
being shown by people abroad to UK citizens
Highly perishable industries: flower and food, were heavily impacted
o Horticultural industry was estimated to be losing up to $3 million/ day
o Casual workers were laid off
Environment Local flooding as the glacier melts
2.8 million tonnes less of CO2 was emitted during the period
Due to the nutrition in the ash Iceland experienced a good harvest
Immediate Rescuers wore face masks to prevent them choking on the ash clouds
response Local population evacuated for safety and respiratory threats due to ash
Livestock taken inside to escape ash.
Main road route had to be breached to let the surplus water flow safely to the sea rather than
allowing the rush of water destroy an important bridge – cheaper to repair the road than the bridge
Scientists are researching the link between E15 and Katla to see when they might erupt again
Long term More information can also be acquired about how ash clouds (due to volcanic eruptions) form and
response disperse. This can lead to better models of ash cloud behaviour which in turn would enable more
informed decisions to be made about whether or not planes should fly
UK National Centre for Atmospheric Science has mobile Lidar (light detection and ranging) system
that uses radar to sense the structure of volcanic ash cloud and how dense/ high they are. This
system is portable and would mean that planes would not have to fly to see if it safe to fly.
Aviation industry is also experimenting with an infrared sensor which would be attached to all planes
and allow them to detect and avoid volcanic ash clouds
Thankfully, the eruption does not appear imminent but could occur sometime in the next few years. This is
Future threat? one of Iceland’s most active volcanoes.
Hawaiian hotspot volcanoes: Kilauea +
Mauna Loa
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