Eyjafjallajokull, Iceland 2010

Where and when did this eruption occur?

Southern Iceland, in 2010.

The volcano lies on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge where the North American and Eurasian plates are moving.

why is Iceland highly technically active?

It lies on a constructive plate boundary where plates move apart, allowing magma to rise.

The mid Atlantic ridge also interacts with a mantle plume, increasing volcanic activity.

What made Eyjafjallajokull particularly hazardous?

The volcano lies beneath an ice cap.

Magma interacting with ice and saltwater produced explosive activity and large quantities of ash, increasing the hazard beyond the immediate volcanic area.

What evidence showed the eruption could be predicted?

Earthquake activity increased before the eruption, providing evidence of magma movement towards the surface.

This gave authorities warning of the developing volcanic hazard.

What was the major international impact of the eruption?

The ash cloud caused widespread European airspace closures, disrupting international air travel and leaving millions of passengers stranded.

Why were the economic impacts much greater than the global impacts?

The eruption occurred within a highly globalised transport network.

Ash disrupted aviation across Europe, meaning businesses, tourism and passengers far beyond Iceland were affected.

What were the main environmental impacts?

Ash and volcanic material affected the surrounding environment, while melting ice generated large volumes of water, creating flooding and threatening infrastructure.

What were the main social impacts?

People in surrounding area evacuated, while ash affected air quality and created health problems.

Internationally, thousands of passengers were stranded by the disruption to air travel.

Why was Iceland relatively resilient to the eruption?

It has a highly developed economy and strong institutional capacity, meaning it had the resources, infrastructure and scientific expertise to monitor the volcano and respond effect ively.

What does the relationship between hazard, vulnerability and capacity to cope show?

A powerful volcanic event does not automatically produce a major disaster.

The consequences depend on how vulnerable people are and how effectively they can respond.

How did the Icelandic authorities respond to the eruption?

Authorities used monitoring and scientific information, evacuated vulnerable populations and took action conference the effects of flooding and ashfall.

Why was the eruption managed fairly effectively in terms of deaths?

No deaths of serious injuries, demonstrating effectiveness of Iceland’s ability to monitor volcanic activity and protect people.

Management prevented deaths despite substantial economic disruption.

Why was the eruption still a major disaster despite the low death toll?

It’s impacts extended far beyond Iceland.

The ash cloud disrupted European aviation, causing major economic losses and demonstrating that disaster severity cannot be judged purely by deaths.

What is a useful evaluation of the response to the eruption?

Was highly effective at protecting life but not at preventing economic disruption.

They successfully managed the local population, but no system could completely prevent the international consequence of the ash cloud.

What does this eruption show about volcanic hazards?

That they can operate across multiple spatial scales: local flooding and ashfall affected Iceland, while ash disrupted European aviation and created wider global economic impacts.