The 2010 Eyjafjallajökull Eruption: A Geography Case Study

There are up to 70 volcanic eruptions on the planet every year, but only a handful are talked about worldwide.

Nearly 15 years ago, a largely unknown and hilariously unpronounceable volcano called Eyjafjallajökull, (ayuh-fyat-luh-yue-koutl) announced itself to the world.

Iceland has experienced many eruptions; few have caused such an impact across the globe.

This unique volcanic eruption is, therefore, a fascinating case study that encourages “geographical thinking” from many different perspectives.

What caused the volcanic eruption?

Iceland is situated on top of a mantle hotspot in the centre of the Atlantic Ocean. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge separates the North American Plate and the Eurasian Plate. As part of this constructive margin, magma rises  through the earth’s crust, driving the plates apart in a process known as ridge push.

The volcano’s name, whilst tricky to say, describes some of its characteristics; eyja island, fjalla meaning mountain and jokull meaning glacier.

Eyjafjallajökull is one of the smaller ice caps in Iceland covering the volcano’s caldera, which has erupted frequently since the last glacial period and most recently in 2010.

Eyjafjallajökull is a strato-conical volcano, built of many layers of hardened lava, tephra, pumice and volcanic ash. It rises over 1600m above the flat coastal plains of the south coast of Iceland.

Due to the glacier covering the crater, Eyjafjallajökull’s eruptions are explosive and generally produce fine ash clouds, with an added risk being glacial floods known as jökulhlaups.

The volcanic eruption timeline

The eruption changed in nature and scale over a few days from an effusive lava eruption with local impacts to an explosive Plinean-style phreatic eruption with significant regional and international consequences because of its glacial burst and ash cloud.

20th March 2010: The eruption begins

The eruption began at 11 pm with a 500 metre fissure (Icelandic-style) opening at Fimmvörðuháls between the Eyjafjallajökull and Mýrdalsjökull ice caps. Lava fountains up to 185 metres high spewed out lava into the surrounding valleys, but this phase of the eruption wasn’t under ice.

250 million cubic metres of volcanic material was transported up to 9 km (30,000 feet) into the air where it met high-level winds including the jet stream, which would transport it around the globe.

15th April 2010: Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre halts flights

The Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC) in London stopped flights due to the ash plume, fearing that the tephra would get into aircraft engines.

May 2010: Final phase and dormancy

Eyjafjallajökull’s final eruptive phase was in May, causing further disruption before being declared dormant on 23rd May.

The impacts of the eruption

Primary effects

• There were no direct fatalities associated with the volcano, although a couple of tourists trying to visit the fissure were found dead, presumably lost in the wilderness.
• The volcanic plume which dissipated over European airspace made air travel impossible. Ten million passengers were affected, and more than 100,000 flights were cancelled. The cost to the aviation industry was estimated to be over £1.2 billion.
• Glacial bursts known as jökulhlaups caused flooding and destroyed the Ring Road, Iceland’s main road.

Secondary effects

• The closure of airspace across Europe also had far-reaching impacts on international trade. This was perhaps best illustrated by the impact felt by Kenyan farmers. It was estimated that the Kenyan horticulture industry lost an average of $3 million per day, with 3,000 tonnes of fresh flowers destined primarily for the UK market left to rot.
• This highlights the butterfly effects of a hazard in a small, sparsely populated country and how that can have such an impact on far-away places, which are adversely affected in our ever-globalised, interconnected world.
• However, the Eyjafjallajökull eruption had longer-term beneficial effects on the country’s economy.
• This explosion put Iceland on the map, as foreign news media descended on the island capturing its spectacular landscapes for all the world to see.
• Using volcanic eruptions as a springboard, the Icelandic Government and tourist industry invested 700 million ISK. (4.3 million Euros) to finance a marketing campaign entitled “Inspired by Iceland”.
• Its focus was for individuals to share memories of Iceland through social media, changing the international attention on Iceland positively.
• Tourism increased by 16% in 2011, and 2018 visitors reached over 2.2 million, a 340% increase since 2010.
• Tourism became the nation’s most important industry, generating more foreign revenue than fisheries and aluminium smelting.

How was the eruption managed?

The Icelandic government worked with the Icelandic Met Office, Coastguard and Police, to ensure locals and tourists were evacuated to schools and community centres.

What is being done to reduce future impacts?

The aviation community’s zero-tolerance policy for flying through volcanic ash came under intense scrutiny, and subsequently engineers, volcanologists and modelers have pulled together to learn more about what constitutes hazardous air space about volcanic ash.

The volcano is monitored by satellites, seismometers, infrasound sensors and other equipment to detect early-warning signs.

Although significant impacts on locals’ health were not observed at the time, it has since been understood that many locals have suffered from longer-term health issues such as increased incidence of breathing difficulties, skin conditions and stress, because of the eruption.

To enhance your student’s learning, our award winning Eyjafjallajokull Eruption Case Study includes archival footage, detailed maps, diagrams, and expert interviews, as well as classroom activities.