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…