Download 11-Heimaey- Living with Natural Hazards.indd

Pre-Visit Activities
(1) The Location Of The Westmann Islands:Iceland lies on either side of the Mid Atlantic Ridge. The Mid Atlantic Ridge is one of the many major plate
boundaries that divide the crust of the Earth into many crustal plates. .
Plate boundaries are where deep faults run down through the rocks of the crust towards the Earth’s mantle.
The molten magma rock that is present in the mantle is under great pressure and can sometimes make its way
to the surface of the crust by rising up through these faults. When this happens, volcanic eruptions occur.
Figure 2
Arctic Circle
Figure 2 shows the Mid Atlantic Ridge passing down
through the centre of Iceland.
Notice how the Mid Atlantic Ridge splits into the
Eastern Volcanic Zone and Western Volcanic Zone
in the southern part of Iceland.
Krafla
Akureyri
e
rn
ste
Ea
Westmann
Islands
e
ic
an
lc
Vo
rn Hekla
ste
e
W
Reykjavík
Zo
n
Zo
Askja
Vo
lc
ic
an
n
Zo
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Grímsvötn
Mid Atlantic Ridge
Katla
Atlantic Ocean
The Westmann Islands are located on an extension of the _ _ _ T E R N Volcanic Zone that runs into and under
the Atlantic Ocean. There is a magma chamber at between 10 – 30kms below the island group. It is from this
magma chamber that the magma erupts.
The Eastern Volcanic Zone is presently much more active than the Western Volcanic Zone. On average, a
significant volcanic event can be expected every 5 years (will you be lucky?!).
Notice the other famous Icelandic Volcanoes that lie within the Eastern Volcanic Zone.
They are:K____
H____
G________
Figure 3 shows the Westmann Island archipelago.
Notice the north east to south west trend of the
islands. This corresponds to the route of the East
Volcanic Zone.
A____
K_____
Figure 3
Atlantic Ocean
Heimaey
Only the island of Heimaey is permanently inhabited.
Its only settlement is called Vestmannaeyjar.
Eldfell
Helgafell
In 1963 a new volcanic island joined the
archipelago from beneath the Atlantic Ocean. This
latest island is called Surtsey.
Scale
Surtsey
4
Rayburn Tours - Iceland Geography
0
5kms