This document is a heavily detailed case study of the Eyjafjallajokull Iceland 2010 Volcanic Eruption which appears in the Hazards topic of A-level geography. It contains extra contextual information which will help students reach an A*. It also includes example questions and answers.
Date of eruption:20th March - End of May 2010 (Extremeeruption on the 14th April)
Prior eruptions:There have been 3 previous eruptionsin the years; 920, 1612, 1821-1823
ey events leading up to the eruption?
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Unlike the majority of volcanoes that only have one main magma chambers, Eyjafjallajökull
actually had two main magma chambers. The 2010 eruption was triggered by the meeting of
both magma chambers which had different types of magma within them. One was basalt
lava and the other silica lava. When there is an intrusion of two different compositions in lava
in can cause a sudden eruption which it what occurred in the 2012 volcanic eruption.
Location:Suðurland,Iceland(Southern region of Iceland)
Identify areas affected:Lots of fine ash entered the atmosphere. TheSuðurland area was
the only area affected.
Type of plate boundary:Constructive plate margin (North Atlantic Ridge)
Plates involved:Iceland is made up of the North American Plate and the Eurasianplate
VEI:4
Were there warnings in place?
he volcano had no warning signs in advance. However, two weeks before the eruption,
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there was a state of alert due to the formation of bulges on the volcano, shift in glacier and
volcano positions and frequent earthquakes noticed by the recording of seismic activity in
January near the volcano.
Primary effects:
- Properties and infrastructure were damaged severely.
- It caused a higher risk for locals who lived near the volcano to experience respiratory
problems.
- The extreme ash plumes which blocked the sunlight in the atmosphere which turned
day to night
- Rescuers had to wear face masks to prevent them from breathing problems due to
the extreme ash plumes.
-
Secondary effects:
- The volcanic eruption had triggered flooding to occur because a glacier had melted a
huge mass of ice.
- Disruptions to industries caused many people to lose their jobs and earn less
income.
- Europe lost $2.6 billion of GDP due to the eruption.
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