1. Case Study: Eyjafjallajokull
Where did it happen?Eyjafjallajokullis found on Iceland which is a
volcanic island found on the constructive boundary between the North
American plate and the Eurasian plate. It is located at the south of the island.
The volcano is a stratovolcano which last erupted in 1823 where lots of
livestock were killed due to release of fluoride.
What happened?
The first earthquakes were recorded in January 2010 at 2 or less on the Richter scale.
26th
February 2010 the rapid expansion of the Earth’s crust was recorded.
3-5th
March 3000 earthquakes were recorded at the epicentre of the volcano.
The first eruption fissure vent is thought to have begun on the 20th
March 2010 8km east of
the top crater of the volcano.
Between the 20th
of March and the 12th
April lava erupted from vents on the flanks of the
mountain.
14th
April 2010 new fissures of lava formed melting ice.
Ash exploded from the volcano. It rose more than 8km high.
Ash and lava continue to be spewed out of the volcano until the 20th
May. It is estimated that
110 million cubic metres of tephra was released by the volcano.
Why did it happen? As the tectonic plates move apart magma bubbles up between them forming
volcanoes. Pressure builds up beneath the volcano and eventually it explodes.
Primary effects Secondary effects
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The ash contaminated water supplies
with fluoride which had deadly
effects on animals, particularly
sheep.
150m thick ice cap melted causing
major floods
The volcano produced 0.15 million
tonnes of CO2each day.
The reduction of air travel over
Europe meant that 1,3 to 2.8 million
tonnes of CO2 was not released into
the atmosphere.
Rivers silted up with ash
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95,000 flights were cancelled due to
the effect of ash on airplane engines.
Airline industries around the world
lost £130million per day.
Tourists paid thousands of pounds to
get home using alternative transport.
The Kenyan economy lost $3.8m on
the 19 and 20th
April because 400
tonnes of flowers could not be
shipped to the UK.
Stock market shares in air travel and
tourism fell by 4%.
S Visibility reduced to a couple of Tourists were stranded overseas

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metres on Iceland. People had to
wear goggles and face masks.
20 farms destroyed
unable to get home due to cancelled
flights.
Why did the ash cloud cause so much disruption?The ash
cloud was carried south and east by the wind so it covered
most of Europe. Theash in the air meant that airplanes
couldn’t fly because the ash erodes the metal of the fan in
the engine and can melt to form glassy deposits. Engine
tolerance levels of ash were unknown at the time which is
why all flights were grounded.
Immediate responses Long term responses
20 farming families were evacuated.
Large evacuation of 800 people from
areas that could be affected by flooding.
A ‘no fly zone’ was enforced over
Europe.
How was the hazard managed? Iceland is well prepared for volcanic eruptions. It has high-tech
equipment and computer models to monitor and predict eruptions. They also have warning systems in
place to text all resident with a 30 minute warning of an imminent eruption.