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QU: What is meant by a tectonic mega-disaster?AIM: To D&E the social and economic impacts of a tectonic event in an HIC (Iceland)

and evaluate how it became a mega-disaster.

St: Link up your geography. The same eruption 50 years ago would not have had such an impact. Why not?

Did you make the link with the

GLOBALISATION unit?

V.E.I. 4

Eyjafjallajokull

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In Iceland this was a pretty standard eruption as things go. Impacts as you saw last lesson were localised and expected.

MEH.

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But then this happened.....................

Eyjafjallajokull

UK and Northern Europe

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Phreatomagmatic eruption

Phreatomagmatic eruptions are volcanic eruptions driven by the direct interaction between magma and external bodies of water such as the sea, lakes or groundwater or in the case of Eyjafjallajokull a melting icesheet.

The mechanism of fragmentation in phreatomagmatic eruptions is thought to involve rapid contraction of magma due to cooling by water. Typical products include extremely fine, glassy silicate rich ash. 

combined with this....

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Why this was a problem

TASK:

1 - Outline the two key factors that combined to produce this hazard.(Wind direction and Phreatomagmatic eruption).

Watch the clip.

2 - Why did this become a problem?

EXT: If the wind had been blowing NE why would Iceland have faced more severe consequences?

Iceland - Population density

Eyjafjallajökull

Reykjavik

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TASK: You will need 4 colouring pencils.1 - Colour code the statements on your copy of this sheet according to the headings across the top: Background Info, Iceland Impacts, Wider Impacts and items to do with response or resilience. It would also be worth depicting which are economic and which are social impacts.

2 - 'Global Interdependence' makes us all vulnerable to hazards. Discuss. Write a concluding paragraph to an essay with this title.

Class discussion first?

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An unexpected natural or man­made catastrophe of exceptional magnitude and/or causing unusually severe or unprecedented damage. 

Here it comes!!

Plenary - So why has this event been classified a mega- disaster. Discuss with the person next to you and listen to class discussion. Then bullet point the key arguments.

Attachments

Why this was a problem