FULL REPORT: ICELAND’S EYJAFJALLAJOKULL VOLCANO BRINGS THE WORLD TO A STANDSTILL
- Reported on by Chief Correspondent Josh Rutland
- Apr 20, 2010
- 13 min read
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Eyjafjallajokull is one of the smaller ice caps in the northern European country of Iceland. Iceland is renowned for its volcanic activity in comparison to the tectonically-safe area of mainland Europe. The remote island in question has 30 active volcanic systems, of which 13 have erupted since the settlement of Iceland in 874 AD, which isn’t very severe when compared to many other areas around the globe. Recent updates have confirmed that fortunately, no human life has been lost in this major incident but Europe's aviation industry is suffering a serious ordeal. Airports all over the world have had to make plans for this incident and attend passengers. This has delayed flights which are not even entering Europe due to the build-up of flights which are. Read on for the whole report - giving YOU the facts, from the source.
A Brief Overview :
Iceland has had a vast tectonic history and over the last few weeks, it has shown what distruption it can cause by unpredictidly cancelling all airspace traffic in the UK, Europe and North Atlantic. The estimated revenue loss by airlines who operate in the dangered areas is close to £9 billion whereas the approximated cost of destruction for the destroyed areas in proximaty to Eyjafjallajokull is a mear £2 billion. Fortunatly, the area the volcano is situated in is very isolated so very few residents are affected by the issue however, the bigger picture reveals the long-term problem which could force airlines to terminate their service. Many believe that this chaos has given Europe a ''wake-up call'' to prepare themselves for incidents in relation to this one in the future, to minimise distruption and protect the aviation industry from further suffering.
The event began on March 20th, however, the time of day is yet unknown due to the varying accounts. Volcanic activity began at the end of 2009 and slowly increased until Eyjafjallajokull finally gave way in March this year. Volcanologist were not fully prepared and the incident was relativly unprecidented to the rest of Europe so the mass of ash cloud came as a major, sudden problem which had to be quickly managed. The cause of this volcanic eruption is the fact that Iceland sits on the Mid Atlantic Ridge in the North Atlantic Ocean, where the Eurasian and North American plates are moving apart a few centimeters per year. Convection currents in the Earth's mantle drag the plates away over a long period of time. So, eventually the mantle of the Earth became exposed and forced Eyjafjallajokull to allow the magma to pour out. For all geogrpahers reading this, you'll know that this is a Constructive Plate Margin where the two plates are pulling apart to remove the crust layer and expose the mantle. The volcano in question is subglacial which means it's benath an ice cap. The ash is made up of dissolved gases in the molten rock along with steam generated from the melting ice.
The ash cloud was so large, it was visable from space! Pictures retrieved from the International Space Station by NASA show the extent of the volcanic gas spreading from Eyjafjallajokull (RIGHT)
The main problem which occured here is the fact that nearly all air traffic throughout Europe and also parts of Asia were stopped and the aviation industry alone lost billions of pounds. There is also the case of the many corporatations and trades which have lost a fortune of their profits in trying to manage the exportation and importation crisis. The world grinded to a sudden halt and many airpots had to reduce flights to manage stranded passengers around the world who were the priority in moving. Even flights which were not using the 'danger area' in European airspace were delayed or cancelled due to the back-log of departures. The main affects of this disaster is the hugmongous economic loss as well as the social problems in helping stranded travellers but also goods get to their destination. Read on for the full report with exclusive interviews.
About Eyjafjallajokull:
Eyjafjallajokull is a composite vocano which means that it has steep-sloping sides, like a typically-known volcano perception. Composite volcanoes erupt more violently than Shield volcanoes but the pyroclastic flow doesn't travel as far, because the lava is of the Felcis type. Felcis lava is much thicker than Mafic (which usually comes from Shield volcanoes). It doesn't travel as far but the lava flies from the top, which is thought to be the reason that the ash cloud is so large.The volcano is a Stratovolcano which means that it it made up of alternating layers of rock and ash - see animated image below of volcano. It is 1666 metres in height and the crater of the volcano measures 1.8 miles to 2.5 miles across (three to four kilometres). The history of this volcano is rare and the last times it is believed to have erupted is 1821 and 1823. It also erupted in 920 and 1612 and so is a dormant volcano - revealed in a recent investigation by scientists. It was considered to be active before. Icelandic scientists reported that the volcano "appears to be dormant" as they discovered the temperature inside the crater had dropped to 100C. This means the volcano is now producing steam rather than magma and ash, according to the status report issued by the Icelandic Met Office and Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Iceland. "What I can confirm is that the activity of the crater has stopped," said vulcanologist Magnus Gudmundsson. "No magma is coming up''. These reports come after a thorough investigation into this eruption which is thought to have been its last appearance on the news in relation to eruptions. Another report which we retrieved from Icelandic newspapers is from the Civil Protection Agency official, Iris Marelsdottir who commented: "Now we can only wait and see. It's too early to say this is over, but at the moment it is quiet."
The diagram on the left shows a Stratovolcano. The different shades of grey lines are the alternating layers of rock and ash. It also shows the magma chamber (the big gathering of magma at the bottom). These type of volcanoes commonly occur on Destructive Plate boundaries, so that's why Eyjafjallaokull is a Stratovolcano.
Between 3rd & 5th of March this year, there were nearly 3,000 earthquakes at the epicentre of the volcano. But most were too small to be of any concern, measuring two or less on the Richter scale. Though some were felt in nearby rural settlements. These could have contributed to the volcano erupting although it is thought that the Constructive Plate Margin moving away was the main souce of this eruption. The volcano's name origionated from an Icelandic phrase meaning “the island’s mountain glacier,”.Eyjafjallajokull is actually the name of the ice cap which lies on top of the volcano however the volcano is still refered to as that name. Its proper name is Eyjafjoll.
In the proximity of this volcano is a number of small, rural settlements which are mostly farms. Mostly traditional Icelandic citizens who farm with the advantages that come with living near a volcano. There are a host of reasons why people choose to live near Eyjafjallajokull - namly farming. Today, about 500 million people live on or close to volcanoes around the world. We even have major cities close to active volcanoes. A prime example is Popocatapetl, which is a volcanic mountain less than 50 miles from Mexico City in Mexico. On first inspection, living near or anywhere close to a volcano which could erupt sometime seems madness, however farmers can achieve considerably higher profits by getting a much larger yield on their crops. The rock from the volcano is immensly rich in minerals, so when the rocks break down into soil over time, the farmers make use of it and plant their crops there. Also tourism generates a large proportion of the local economy as Iceland is a target for international tourists. Hotels, restaurants and shops give jobs to nearly all residents in the volcano region. This attracts many Icelanders to the area in the hope they can launch their careers. However, many hotels and toursist facilities are based a distance from the volcano itself due to the urbanisation rules, to prevent cities being built in the picturesque countryside. Also, it is safer in case there is any tectonic activity. This is the reason why the death toll is fortunatly zero.
Comparing This Volcano:
Eyjafjallajokull may seem to have casued a major crisis within Europe, although when comparing it to other volcanic systems aroud the world, it is quite insignificant. The volcano in topic has only had a handful of eruptions since it was even formed - which was many millions of years ago. This is why the scientist believe it to be dormant and the rarity of an eruption has lead to it being almost forgotten about, and seen as a mountain by some. A volcano which last erupted in 1961 named Askja is a volcanic system which is very much alike Eyjafjallajokull. The only recorded eruptions for Askja were in March, 1875 and 1961 - however, there was also one 11,000 years ago but near to nothing is known about that one. The 1875 eruption was very severe and the ash particles fell from the air and virtually poisened many living organisms, such as livestock. The eruption history is very similar to Eyjafjallajokull and there are many others in Iceland which have a similar factfile. Askja is probably the most well-known volcano in this region due to its huge eruption within the last 50 years, so some generations will remember this. Askja is almost exacly 130 miles from Eyjafjallajokull on a direct route.
But, these two eruptions are miniscule and there were luckily no deaths, but more extensive volcanoes, such as the Nevado del Ruiz in Columbia are the total opposite and were a cataclysm. Nevado del Ruiz is a good example to use as it is also a stratovolcano like Eyjafjallajokull. It has a history of generating serious volcanic mudflows from a relatively small-volume eruption. In 1595, a mudflow swept down the valleys of the River Guali and the River Lagunillas, which consequently killed 636 people. Then, again, in 1845 an immense mudflow flooded the upper valley of the River Lagunillas, killing over 1000 people. The history of this volcano is very lengthy and the number of deaths caused goes into the hundreds of thousands for all eruptions.
A more iconic eruption for generations today is the one in 1985. This killed more than 23,000 people from residents of four towns, in the proximity to the volcano. The towns that were hit were almost unrecognisable and were mostly destroyed. In fact, it was the second most deadly eruption in the 20th century, after the 1902 eruption of Mont Pelee on the Caribbean island of Martinique. The Mont Pelee eruption killed 29,000 people. Once the 1985 eruption of Nevado del Ruiz had taken place, the volcanic system remained active but only for a few years after it and then two small eruptions in 1991 and 1992. A further, small earthquake occured in 2012 but was only minor.
The differences between the two Icelandic volcanoes and Columbia's Nevado del Ruiz is enourmous and they are at two opposite ends of the scale - relating to their severity. It highlights the frivious state of Eyjafjallajokull and Askja in comparison to many others which have caused tens of thousands of lives to be lost to horrific events. Eyjafjallajokull caused many probmens economically to the rest of the world which is unfortunate enough but this was a different disaster to many others around the world. The volcano in topic will not be remembered in the same way as others which were far worse although in the business world, it was a serious event.
The map on the right marks the Nevado del Ruiz and the Eyjafjallajokull area - of where the two volcanoes in question are. It also demonstrates a realistic difference between countries which are involved and also the affected countries.
The Knock-On Effect:
The incident didn't just cause distruption to Iceland, the whole of Europe was affected and nearly every aeroplane in Europe was grounded - even if it was a national flight. The moving graph below shows the ash cloud moving into mainland Europe's airspace and bringing chaos with it. The bar graph also demonstrates the collosal problem also including an economical loss graph. Nearly 107,000 flights cancelled during an 8-day period, accounting for 48% of total air traffic and roughly 10 million passengers - amid the worst travel chaos since 9/11. This ash cloud created a secondary effect after the original volcanic eruption and ceased many planes around the world, even causing havoc to flights which are not entering Europe due to the airports having to deal with the problem. The six-day air travel ban was the reason that the planes were forced to be grounded for the safety of everyone.
The cloud ABOVE floated, oblivious to the problems it had created, into Europe as there were no winds at the time to push it along. Until it reached mainland Europe then the winds spread the cloud out into Eastern Asia and Southern Europe. This wasn't entirly good though. The density of the cloud had decreased but now there was more endangered airspace to negotiate.
A time-lapse image of Eyjafjallajokull exploding and the ash cloud rocketing out of the volcano...
It isn't just the aviation industry which was badly damaged by the flight restrictions. There was more destruction economically as shortages of imported flowers, fruits and electronic hardware were reported in the immediate days after the disruption by many corportations. The food industry also had a crisis as food from other countries could not be flown over from its native regions which saw the profit of shops to decrease as sales plumeted. The food trade from the UK also created concerns as there became a spoilage which is where our food turns out-of-date and rotten. The reason is that flights couldn't export our food to other countries. FedEx, DHL and other logistics companies were unable to transport goods by air. Instead they had to transport packages to other destinations around Europe via shipment, then transport them by road to the final destination, in order to continue trade. This ammounted to many extra costs for them, resulting in very poor profits for that period of time.
The holiday travel firm TUI, which own Thomsom and First Choice holidays, reported losses of £5–6 million per day during the airspace closure. This is mainly due to travellers being unable to return home.The car manufacturer BMW said it was suspending production, at three of its plants in Germany. This was apparently because of ''interruptions in the supply of parts''. However, it wasn't all terrible news for some industries as worried travellers scrambled for other modes of transport such as ferry and railway. Companies which run ferry and rail facilities enjoyed an unexpected ''bonanza'', while some car-hire firms were controversially hiking charges. Just in the United Kingdom though, thirteen travel firms closed down due to losses during the summer of 2010. The ash cloud disruption was reportedly claimed as one of the factors which compelled them to cease trade.
Meanwhile, outside of Europe, the already poor-stricken Kenya told that it was having to destory 400 tonnes of flowers which would have a high value on the European market. The country's economy was estimated to be bringing in a loss of $3.8m each day! This was an immensly, large-scale dilemma which would have possibly effected Kenya for years after. Many indigent African countries suffered the same fate and their population were the people who experienced it worse as, without work, they could possibly die with no food or essentials.
A video below from one of our partnered media sources gives more details on the event:
Why Did It Stop The Aviation Industry?
Aeroplanes are usually one of the safest modes of transport due to the vast areas they cover and the number of planes in the skies. However, when a problem occurs, they are the mode of transport which requires most attention because if they do have an accident - it will almost certainly involve hundreds of fatalities. This ash can cause a number of complication to normal routines - the obvious one being visability. Although, equally as bad as visability, is the damage the chemicals in the ash can cause to an aircraft. LOOK AT VIDEO AND DIAGRAM BELOW. The ash cloud is sucked into the engine with tremendous force and is combusted to fuel the aircraft. In fact, all the air in the average household can be sucked into the engine in approximatly one second - this demonstrates the power involved and how the plane is in danger.
As the ash cloud spread out across Europe, more 'danger' areas were implemented to prevent any accidents. Microscopic particles within the ash cloud can become trapped within the engine of a plane and clog it up, preventing a clear airflow. This could stop the engine functioning and bring the plane to a stop in mid-air which creates unthinkably consequences. Dr David Kerridge who is the BGS Head of Earth Hazards told us in an exclusive report: volcanic ash clouds are made up of small abrasive particles that can clog up jet engines and stop them working. Planes are either re-routed or grounded when there's a danger of flying into ash clouds to ensure the safety of passengers and avoid very costly damage. The only aircraft allowed to fly in the proximity of the volcano were research planes which had to be propeller powered. Propellers are not affected by the ash cloud as they generate power through the spinning propeller, unlike a jet which relies on taking in air to burn. They sucessfully flew around Eyjafjallaokull to collect essential data for scientists. The planes can also monitor the sulphur content in the air to see what stage the volcano is at.
The image on the left shows how the ash cloud from Eyjafjallajokull can affect a jet engine of an aeroplane.
Another diagram below determines the main reason why the aeroplanes must not operate. Many cannot understand why the planes cannot fly around the ash cloud and that health and safety rules are too strict. However, studying the position of the ash cloud, it is clear that the plane would not be able to achieve a necessary height to fly over the cloud without flying throught it. The volcano only powers the cloud to a certain altitude of 18,000 ft but, the wind swiping eastwards across Europe carries the ash into the mainland. It is impossible for an aircraft, from the major British airports, to reach a height of 35,000 to 40,000 ft (which is their typical altitude on a long-distance flight) without cutting across the huge cloud. Unless the pilot risks the lives of everybody on board by completing a near vertical take-off, it cannot happen. The aviation rules restrict pilots doing stunts of this nature as the plane could easily cut-out in mid-air and stall. This will almost definatly be fatal.
The pie chart on the right (above) gives you the main locations where erupted material has ended. The ash particles are usually pulled down by gravitational forces and just drop down wherever they are. This is most-commonly in the sea due to the large distance of water between mainland Europe and the remote island of Iceland. This has casued other environmental issues such as water pollution in small lakes around Iceland. Many species of fish have died due to water contamination which poses another obstacle towards the operation of reparing the damage caused.
To conclude on this detailed report, Eyjafjallajokull may not have changed the world or made news for years after, but it certainly changed Europe's outlook on tectonic events and made them aware of what could happen. New plans have been made already to combat any problems relating to this and companies are aware of what restrictions could be enforced in the future, making advanced precautions to continue trade and business. For the aviation industry, as well as European leaders, this has been a 'wake-up call as mentioned at the start of the report. They are now mindful and are working closer with Iceland to prevent the distruption that Eyjafjallajokull caused. Although this specific volcano in question will unlikely erupt in the near future, other possible eruptions are being examined. Europe is the business hotspot for international trade and hundreds of thousands of world-wide travellers use European airports every day so it is in everyone's interest to realise the potential issues which could arise at any moment. Keep up to date in next weeks editions where we will be able to reveal exclusive footage of the incident and obtain a special report from our partnered sources. We will leave all geogrpahy-loving readers to enjoy a time-lapse video of the eruption below.
A video below shows a time-lapse of the event and the
build-up of the ash cloud bound for mainland Europe:
Reported On By Chief News Correspondent - Josh Rutland
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