Background Information

• Population approx 338,000 (2018)

• Capital city - Reykavik (not affected by the earthquake)

• Sub-glacial strato-volcano (Eyjafijallajokull is the name of the glacier)

• Anomaly - Iceland is on a constructive plate boundary - should be a effusive sheild volcano

• Very well monitored volcanic location

• 15th April 2010 - activity detected since 20th March 2010

Cause:

• Iceland sits on Mid-Atlantic Ridge - constructive plate boundary - divergence of North America and Europe

• Seismologists aware of increased activity from March - indicated magma was rising to surface

• Magma chamber filled up - pressure increased inside volcano - magma started to rise from March 20th - caused significant lava flows - but then quietened down

• More magma was rising in two weeks of less activity on surface - magma from mantle mixed with existing magma in magma chamber

• Triggered chemical reactions - more gases created - resulted in explosive eruption

• From 12th April lava was flowing from the magma chamber again - by 15th April vents below glacier were full of magma - glacier burst open melting glacier and causing extensive flooding

• Hot magma meets freezing ice - creates huge plumes of tephra

• Eruption lasted two weeks

Effects:

• Ash clouds up to 30,000 feet into air - tephra dispersed across local area - much of north-east Europe

• International air travel was affected - hundreds of thousands of people displaced

• Trade affected with cargo flights cancelled - Kenya lost $35 million due to fresh food decaying

• Total cost to Europe - $2.8 billion in lost trade and insurance costs from cancelled flights

• Caused less demand for air fuel - affected oil industry - stock marked shares in air travel companies fell

• Flash floods from jokulhalups damaged fields and crops - 20 farms destroyed - evacuated

• 200m ice melted - damaged Route 1 - one of countries main roads

• Secondary effect - ash covered ice - increased melting - dark surfaces absorb more heat - exacerbating flooding (positive feedback)

• Volcano in sparsely populated area - no deaths or injuries - very little damage to property

Mitigation

• Airspace closed to mitigate risk of aviation disaster - 100,000 flights cancelled - cost of more than $200 million per day

Responses:

• Iceland’s National Emergency Agency - mitigate risks

• Co-ordinated very effective and immediate response

• Damaged bridges immediately replaced with temporary structures - minimise impact on communication

• No need for emergency aid - no injuries or damage to buildings

• Iceland increased surveillance of area - public kept well informed about any changes in activity

Further Reading

• Disruption caused chaos in London Heathrow - normally sees 1,200 flights in + out a day

• 700-800 people evacuated from their homes from area 25km east of capital

• Volcano melted a glacier - caused massive flood

• First volcano at Eyjafijallajokull glacier since 1823

• Iceland’s first since 2004

• Briefly forced 6000 from their homes

• Millions of people stranded due to grounding thousands of flights

• Low pressure system developed over Iceland - push ash towards the Arctic