Case study: Volcanic eruption - Eyjafjallajokull, Iceland, April 2010

Causes:

• Divergent plate boundary - convection currents cause Eurasion and North American plates to move apart (diverge) - magma rises up through fissures in the ground causing and eruption of balsatic lava - lava cools and layers of ash and lava build up on the sides over time forming the cone shape of a stratovolcano - Eyjafjallajokull is 1666m high and is under a glacier, a slow moving river of ice

Impacts:

• Local roads and homes damaged by the eruption so money had to be spent repairing and insurance claims had to be made
• 800 people evacuated from around the volcano
• Crops covered in ash - agricultural production reduced - loss of income for farmers and a shortage of certain types of food which may have led to food prices increasing
• Iceland's economy suffered as it relies on tourism and tourist numbers across the…