For a video on plate boundaries and the Pacific Ring of Fire, go to YouTube and search for ‘Plate Tectonics – Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History’ (4:28).
On your smart device, download one of the free volcano and earthquake monitoring apps. Over the next week, track every volcanic eruption or earthquake using the app. Record at least two of these in your copy. Look up the location and find out what plate boundaries are located close by. Compare your record with your classmates’.
2.5 The Economic and Social Impacts of Volcanoes Case Study: The Eyjafjallajökull Volcano in Iceland
Iceland is a volcanic island located on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Here, convection currents are pulling the North American and Eurasian Plates apart at a constructive plate boundary. This has resulted in many volcanoes, including Eyjafjallajökull. It is a volcano that is covered by an ice cap.
Rate of spreading = 2.5 cm per year North American Plate (moves west) Eurasian Plate (moves east)
Snæfellsjökull
Iceland Loki-Fögrufjöll Reykjavik Hekla
Mid-Atlantic Ridge
Eyjafjallajökull Surtsey Island
Katia Öræfajökull Volcano Island 1. Locate the Eyjafjallajökull volcano on the map. Where is it in relation to Iceland’s capital city?
2. There are a number of active volcanoes in Iceland. How do you think the people living in the surrounding areas have adapted to life near a volcano?