How do volcanoes affect the UK?

Good news, it’s is most likely that if you live in the United Kingdom that you’ll go your whole life not having to worry about volcanic activity on your island. Hooray! Now although no volcanic activity is currently a worry in the United Kingdom, that is not to say that they are completely safe from the destructive forces of nature. As a very powerful nation, they have responsibilities to their territories. One of them is tracking and prevention of volcanic activity. 

Of the UKOT (United Kingdom’s Overseas Territories), two are of major concern. First is volcanism on Ascension Island. Here, “volcanic activity has been dominated by lava flows produced from vents distributed all over the surface of the island, with less frequent explosive eruptions producing volcanic ash and pyroclastic flows originating from the central and eastern areas”. 

Second is volcanic activity on Tristan da Cunha, which like Ascension Island is part of the UKOT of Saint Helena. This area is active! The most recent above water eruption happened from 1961-1962. “The eruption lasted four months and was preceded by two months of tremors felt by the inhabitants. As the lava dome grew bigger, fissures opened up near the Settlement and lava began flowing out of the vent towards homes. The islanders evacuated and spent two years in Southampton, UK, before returning to Tristan”. Aside from that, there were a series of earthquakes in 2004 that lead scientists to believe that there was a submarine volcano that had erupted nearby. 

Sources: 

“Geoscience in the Overseas Territories.” British Geological Survey, 11 Mar. 2021, https://www.bgs.ac.uk/geology-projects/volcanoes/geoscience-in-the-overseas-territories/. 

HeritageDaily. “Volcanic Map of the United Kingdom.” HeritageDaily, 2 Mar. 2020, https://www.heritagedaily.com/2018/09/volcanic-map-of-the-united-kingdom/121724?amp.