Volcanic Eruption Case Study: Cumbre Vieja (Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE Geography) : Revision Note

Causes of the Cumbre Vieja eruption

• Part of the Canary Islands, La Palma is located in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of North Africa

• The Canary Islands are an autonomous region of Spain

• There are 33 volcanoes across the Canary Islands, 10 of which are on the island of La Palma

• La Palma has a population of 85,000

Eruption, September 2021

• The eruption of the Tajogaite volcano on the Cumbre Vieja ridge on La Palma began on September 19, 2021 and the eruption lasted for almost three months

• The eruption was VEI 2 to VEI 3

Cause

• La Palma and the other Canary Islands are located on the African plate

• The islands are an archipelago which has formed as the result of a hot spot

• This means that they are not located on a plate boundary but over a magma plume

Impacts of the Cumbre Vieja eruption

• Over 7,000 people had to be evacuated from their homes

• Almost 1,500 houses were destroyed by the lava flow

• Over 1,500 other buildings, such as churches, shops, and schools, were destroyed

• The lava flow cut across the coastal highway

• The water supply was cut off for almost 3,000 people

• Over 400 hectares of banana farms were destroyed

• Almost 1,300 hectares of land were affected

• 1 death

• About 20,000 people were exposed to the eruption and its effects

• Air traffic disruption

• €1 billion damages

Responses to the Cumbre Vieja eruption

Immediate response

• A warning was issued of an eruption on 13th September and 40 people and livestock were evacuated

• A further 1000 people were evacuated after the eruption began on the 19th September

• 5600 more people were evacuated over the next few weeks

• The alert level was raised to red

• Air traffic was briefly suspended

• Constant monitoring of lava flow and gas emissions to ensure the safety of the population

• Food and shelter were provided for those made homeless

• A €5.4 million advanced payment donated by the EU

Long-term response

• Spain promised €400 million to La Palma for rebuilding

• Prefabricated housing was built for those made homeless but six months on, many people were still living in hotels and with family and friends

• Constant monitoring of the volcano and others on La Palma

• Improved crisis management processes are now in place for future eruptions 

Strategies to reduce the impact of eruptions in La Palma

• The local government in La Palma is focusing on several strategies to reduce the impacts of any future eruptions, including:

  • more accurate risk mapping to understand which areas are most vulnerable

• Strategies to reduce disruptions to the water and power supply include exploring the possibility of geothermal energy production

• Installation of over 1,300 air quality and gas monitoring sensors; these aim to:

  • reduce people's exposure to low air quality during future eruptions

  • ensure that people know when the level of gases is safe and when they need to evacuate

• Public announcement and phone alert systems improved

• Improved monitoring and prediction of eruptions