EYJAFJALLAJÖKULL

EYJAFJALLAJÖKULL

• Situated in South Iceland
• 63 degrees north of the Equator
• In the Scandinavian region in Europe
• One of Iceland's smaller ice caps.
• It is a stratovolcano.

WHEN THE ERUPTION HAPPENED

• Volcano had been more active for months before erupting.
• Eyjajfallajokull had been swollen on its outside for 11 weeks.
• This was a warning that the volcano was going to erupt soon.
• On 20th March 2010, Eyjafjallajökull erupted.
• It erupted close to midnight, for the first time in 190 years.

WHY THE VOLCANO ERUPTED

• Water lowered the magma melting point.
• This allowed the water to dissolve into the magma.
• The water dissolving made the gases in water and magma mix.
• The hydrogen and oxygen react with the magma.
• The solution was explosive, forcing the volcano to erupt.

WHAT HAPPENED IN THE ERUPTION

• The sides of the volcano were letting out basalt lava.
• There was a small earthquake, which worsened the eruption.
• The seismic activity created crators, which let out magma.
• The ash produced had a high silica concentration.
• It was thought that nearby volcanoes were going to erupt as a result.

WHO WAS AFFECTED

• Roughly 100,000 people had their flights cancelled.
• Local farmers were evacuated from the area.
• A group of 30 students on a school trip were also evacuated.
• Farmers with livestock were warned to keep animals indoors.
• Farmers evacuated were able to move back a few days later.

EFFECTS OF THE ERUPTION

• A thick ash was produced from the eruption.
• Airlines and plane manufacturers couldn't be sure of reliability.
• As a result, many European and American flights were cancelled.
• The flight cancellations effected over 100,000 people.
• A predicted $2,000,000,000 was the cost for airliners alone.

EFFECTS OF THE ERUPTION

• Many athletes had to call off plans to be in certain events.
• The Boston Marathon took place with less competitors.
• Concerts were also cancelled, by Gary Numan and many more.
• The Iron Man 2 film premier was moved to London.

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