We are going to look at the eruption of

Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland as our case

study
Introducti
on to the
eruption -
including
Location
 The North-Atlantic and Europe, the distances from Eyjafjallajökull to Oslo
and London are indicated. The shaded area shows where satellites detected ash in the
atmosphere during the eruption (based on Gudmundsson et al., submitted).
 Map showing areas on and around Eyjafjallajökull where travel was
restricted. This map was issued on 27 April 2010 by the National Commissioner
of the
Icelandic Police and the Police Commissioner at Hvolsvöllur and published on
the
website www.almannavarnir.is.
• Convergent and Divergent Plate Boundaries
 The Mid Atlantic Ridge
(runs right through the middle of Iceland)
On March 3-5 around 3000 small earthquakes measured in the
epicentre of the Eyjafjallajoekull volcano in Iceland.
 Up to 19th March 2010 scientists monitoring tectonic activity detected small earthquakes
caused by magma moving through fissures in the Earth’s crust. They predicted that an
eruption was close.

3. As more
magma is
stored in the
chamber,
pressure builds
up. Eventually,
the pressure is
strong enough
to start an
eruption.

1. Small cracks, or fissures, 2. Magma chambers are

in the Earth’s crust allow formed close the
surface. Magma collects
molten magma to force its in these.
way towards the surface.
Lava spews out of a mountain on March
21, 2010 in the region of the Eyjafjalla
glacier in Iceland
This picture taken on March 27, 2010
shows lava spurting out of the site of a
volcanic eruption at the Eyjafjallajökull
volcano some 125 km east of Reykjavik.
Steam and hot gases rise above lava
flowing from the Eyjafjallajökull volcano
on April 3rd, 2010
14th April – The Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland sees a marked
increase in activity and erupts again. A plume of ash rises four
miles into the sky.
Smoke and steam hang over the volcano
under the Eyjafjalla glacier in Iceland,
early Thursday April 15, 2010.
The ash spread quickly and airports throughout
much of Europe and Asia were closed
Flights in the air on April 18
SOME PICTURES
Eyja fjalla jökull
Islands mountain glacier