An Alternative Solution for Modelling Lava Flow Path and Length: applied for hazard assessment at Hekla and Eyjafjallajökull, Iceland

• Main Author: O'Hara, Mhairi
• Other Authors: Thordarson, Thor
• Format: Master Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: The University of Edinburgh 2012
• Subjects: Modelling; Lava Flows; MSc by Research in GIS; Fimmvörðuháls; Eyjafjallajökull; Hekla; Iceland
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1842/6276

This paper describes the development of a model that determines the flow path of lava by processing a DEM and estimates the maximum distance it will attain based on the average discharge rate. The effusive eruptions that took place at Hekla in 2000 and Eyjfjallajökull in 2010, at the Fimmvörðuháls site in Iceland are used to validate the model. Results show that the model accurately replicates the paths taken by the lava flows during both events, while the calculated flow lengths from the Hekla 2000 eruption are in extremely good agreement with the real flow fields, with an average accuracy of 94.42%. The Lava Flow model is also used to produce hazard maps for both Hekla and Eyjafjallajökull, by identifying zones on the volcanoes flanks that will confine the lava in the event of an eruption source opening within the boundaries.