CASE STUDY
Soufrière Hills, Montserrat 19951999
Small Island in Caribbean
Population 5300 people
VEI 3
400 years dormancy
Eyjafjallajökull, Iceland, 2010
GEOPHYSICAL
CONTEXT
Found on convergent plate
boundary
South American Plate and North
America Plate forced under the
Caribbean plate
Found on divergent plate boundary
North American and Eurasian plate
Form Mid-Atlantic Ridge
Composite volcano
CAUSE OF EVENT
Plate pulled by convection
currents into mantle
melts and rises through cracks in
rocks towards surface
magma gathers under volcano
pressure builds up until it is forced
out vent towards surface
eventually becomes too heavy
and collapses
WARNINGS
Experienced elevated seismicity
for 3 years prior
Tectonic divergence of Mid-Atlantic
Ridge creates magma chamber under
mountain
Magma rises from below and pushes
plates apart
Energy comes from hotspot directly
below
magma enters these and rises to
surface
causes volcanic eruption
December 2009
-Increased seismic activity
After increased seismicity was
observed meetings between
-Regional Chief of Police
-Department of Civil Protection and
Emergency management
-scientists
-local police
held meetings with residents in
expected hazard zones
- 800 people evacuated
- no reported deaths
-contaminated water sources
-risk of glacial flood
-
KEY
INFORMATION
PREPAREDNESS
PRIMARY IMPACTS -Ash steam and rocks hurled out
forcing all the inhabitants to
evacuated south of island
- main agricultural
- largest settlement, Plymouth
- several deaths
-severe impact on government
offices, shops and services
Northern Europe
Population 350000
VEI 4
SECONDARY
IMPACTS
SHORT TERM
RESPONSE
LONG TERM
RESPONSE
-50 people had to share a toilet
sewage tanks not emptied for
weeks on end
risk of water contamination
risk of spreading diseases
Rescue teams
Helicopter services were provided
by Royal Dutch Navy
12 Inhabitants airlifted from
affected communities
Volcano observatory set up after
1995
-monitors activity
deformation, environmental,
volcanological
107 k flights cancelled
Reported respiratory diseases
many international events postponed
due to travel
European economies badly affected
Automated phone alert
Local volunteers went through
neighbourhoods
Red cross activated emergency
response plan
CPDIP
-produced reports about access
-control vulnerable communities
keep people away from floodplains