Eyjafjallajökull

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/eyjafjallajkull

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How high is Eyjafjallajökull?1,651 meters (5,417 feet)
2. How big is Eyjafjallajökull?Approximately 100 square kilometers (39 sq mi)
3. What is the location?Southern Iceland, situated north of Skógar and west of Mýrdalsjökull
4. What is the volcanic system?Stratovolcano beneath an ice cap, known for phreatomagmatic eruption potential
5. Why did the 2010 eruption cause so many flights to be cancelled?The eruption released tiny ash particles that can melt inside jet engines. When the ash solidifies, it blocks airflow and can shut down engines, so planes had to stay on the ground.
6. How does the ice on the volcano affect its eruptions?When the ice melts, the water can explode against rising magma, creating phreatomagmatic eruptions that produce lots of fine ash.

Phreatomagmatic Eruption: An explosive volcanic eruption caused by the interaction of magma with water.
Cryosphere: All the frozen water on Earth, including ice sheets, glaciers, and snow.
Jökulhlaup: A glacial outburst flood, often caused by subglacial volcanic activity or geothermal heating.
Stratovolcano: A tall, conical volcano built up by many layers of hardened lava, ash, and rock debris.