Post on 21-Apr-2020
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MontserratEruption 1997
= Monster rat
Small island in the Caribbean sea
Soufriere Hills volcano
Montserrat is a small ...
Key facts:
Date: 25th June 1997 (small eruptions began in July 1995)Size: 4.5 million m3 of rocks and gas releasedDeath toll: 19
Cause:
Montserrat is above a destructive plate margin where the Atlantic plate is forced underneath the Caribbean plate
Magma rose up through weak points under the Soufriere hills forming an underground pool of magma
The rock above the pool collapsed, opening a vent and causing the eruption
Primary impacts/effects
Secondary impacts/effects
Immediate/short -term responses
Long-term responses
A risk map was created and an exclusion zone in place. The south of the island is off-limits while the volcano is
still active
Shelters were built to house evacuees
Temporary infrastructure was also built, e.g. roads and electricity supplies
Tourists stayed away and businesses were destroyed, disrupting
the economy
The UK has provided £41 million to develop the north of the island – new docks an airport and houses have been
built in the north
Large areas were covered with volcanic material – the capital
city Plymouth was buried under 12m of mud and
ash
Over 20 villages and two thirds of homes on
the island were destroyed by
pyroclastic flows
The Montserrat Volcano Observatory
has been set up to try and predict future
eruptions
Population decline –8000 of the islands 12,000 inhabitants have left since the eruptions began in
1995
Schools, hospitals, the airport and the port
were destroyed
Vegetation and farmland were
destroyed
Tourism on the island is now increasing as
people come to see the volcano
The UK provided £17 million of emergency aid (Montserrat is an overseas territory of
the UK)
Local emergency services provided support units to search for and rescue
survivors
Volcanic ash from the eruption has improved
soil fertility
19 people died and 7 were injured
People were evacuated from the south to safe
areas in the north
Fires destroyed many buildings including local government offices, the police HQ and the town’s
central petrol station
Iceland Volcanic Eruption, 2010
Why could the Smith family not
go to Italy on holiday in 2010?
Eyjafjallajokull is in Iceland, and is an
example of a major volcanic
eruption.
The name is a description of the
characteristics of the volcano,
namely Eyja meaning island;
fjalla meaning mountain;
and jokull meaning glacier.
The eruption in Iceland sent ash kilometres into the air. Satellite images show the
cloud as brownish-black as ice particles mingle with ash.
Extent of Iceland volcano ash cloud
Map showing the spread of ash over Europe
Organise the statements into primary effects, secondary effects and responses
Within Iceland, many
people were lucky as the
volcano is on the south
coast and the wind carried
the ash southeast towards
Europe: away from the most
inhabited areas of Iceland.
The ash cloud was made up
of very fine particles that can
clog up the engines of
aircraft that attempt to fly
through them.
Flooding was a problem.
As the eruption occurred
beneath a glacier, a huge
amount of meltwater was
produced.
Ash contaminated local
water supplies with fluoride
and farmers near the
volcano were warned not
to let their livestock drink
from streams and water
sources.
Industries were affected by
a lack of imported raw
materials, e.g. Honda
announced a partial halt to
production.
Over 8 days, 100,000 flights
were cancelled affecting 10
million passengers.
People living in the rural
areas ‘down wind’ of the
volcano had to wear
goggles and facemasks as
the ash was so thick.
Scientific research will be
carried out to find better
ways of monitoring ash
concentrations and
improving forecast models.
Visibility was down to a few
metres.
In Kenya 20% of the economy
is based on the export of
green vegetables (beans,
peas) and flowers to Europe.
These are perishable goods
and are transported by plane
to keep them fresh but the
flight ban meant that
products were destroyed.
Eyjafjallajokull has
become a new Icelandic
tourist attraction with it’s
own visitor centre.
The ash cloud is thought to
have cost Airlines and
associated businesses, losing
about £130 million a day.
Local cattle farmers
suffered. 500 farmers and
their families had to be
evacuated from the area
around the volcano,
Overall, 800 local people
were evacuated.
Tourists are encouraged to
visit the ‘land of ice and fire’
bringing benefits to local
people and industries.
Homes and roads were
damaged and services
disrupted (electricity,
water etc).
Many of the roads
surrounding the volcano
where shut down.
Ash falls coated agricultural
(farm) land with thick layer
of ash, damaging crops of
grass used for hay.
Winds spread the ash that
was pumped high into the
atmosphere over Northern
and western Europe and
stopped flights from taking
Tests have taken place to
see if planes can fly in ash
clouds, in what type of ash
or around ash clouds.
Hundreds of thousands of
people (maybe including
you?!) were stranded in
other countries.
Bardarbunga Eruption Begins
August 2014 - aviation fears…