Puyehue Volcanoe

To what extent can preparedness and planning mitigate the effects of a volcanic hazard (40 marks)

With no prolonged periods of inactivity the volcano has continuously built up on itself. The last major eruption took place in 1790 and killed many people and animals, but numbers are unknown4. Starting in 1983 there was a chain of several eruptions that started and have yet to stop pushing lava through a lava tube till it reaches the Pacific Ocean. Over a span of twenty year the flow has

Assess the extent to which primary rather than secondary impacts are the more serious effects arising from volcanic eruptions. (30 marks)

The volcanoes are located where there is a divergence or convergence in the tectonic plates and bring their lava from the deepest of the terrestrial mantle. The materials and explosions of these ginates represent a constant risk in the places inhabited by the human being, nevertheless the people ususually live in these areas no matter the risk. On the other hand the volcanos can change the geology of an impressive form, or to cool the temperature of the earth, or to darken the sky. The scientific community increases its efforts to try to understand better what happens in volcanoes, however it is impossible to predict these conditions.

The Nevado del Ruiz Volcano eruption is also a great example of how the physical environment affects the hazard. In Armero two

A human factor that would cause differences in the hazards posed by volcanoes is settlement, which includes where people chose to live in relation to a volcano. For example, in Indonesia many people settle near Mount Merapi because of the rich and fertile soil favoured for farming. As Indonesia is a poor country many people rely on subsistence farming, therefore are willing to risk everything by settling beside a volcano. Furthermore, in the last eruption in 2010 360,000 people were displaced from their homes, meaning not only did they lose their home but also their livelihood; hundreds also lost their lives. Therefore, the hazards posed could have been minimalised if people chose to settle elsewhere.

Volcanic eruptions not only give burning lava to the environment but the eruptions also release sulfur into the air (Mattox). This may sound familiar as coal burning power plants

Consequently, it would have led to contamination of the water and the spread of disease. 230 square miles of forest burned and got destroyed. This would have a great effect on the logging industry because there would not be as many trees for them to cut down. In addition to this it would have a great effect on wildlife as 1000s of animals' homes would have been destroyed. It destroyed or extensively damaged over 200 homes, destroyed/ damaged 185 miles (300 km) of road and destroyed/ damaged 15 miles of railways. Airports closed (from 2days → 2 weeks). Over a thousand commercial flights were cancelled following airport closures. Lastly, unemployment rose rapidly after eruption.

The volcanic eruption of Nevada del Ruiz in Bolivia is another example of how some of the poorest people can be so badly affected by these events. The US volcanologist office warned the local authorities about the impending eruption but the authorities did not understand the seriousness of the situation and so did not warn any of the people. 28000 people died from the eruption and the secondary effects of the mudslides and lahars that formed. This lack of education of the risks of the seismic and volcanic hazards in the poorer countries often makes them much more vulnerable.

This is not the first time an evacuation has taken place around the Mexican volcano. In fact, the volcano has a history of being quite active. There has been an eruption of some sort nearly every year since 2001, one of the largest being in 2005 when explosions of lava landed as far as 3-4 kilometers from the site of the Mexican volcano (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volc%C3%A1n_de_Colima). According to NOAA advisory regarding what is known about the volcano so far active lava flow can be seen coming from the volcano, and clouds of smoke have cause trouble for airports in the area (http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/VAAC/ARCH15/COLI/2015G120738.html).

A particular vulcanologist, Frank Trusdell who is working for the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Obsevatory (HVO), have been studying the historic eruptions of Mauna Loa for the past 3 decades. Trusdell mentioned that Mauna Loa erupt at a long term average of once every 6 years. Currently, there are not much activity by comparing the seismic activity in 1980-1984 to 2011-2014. When a volcanic eruption is imminent, the HVO will alert the Hawaiian emergency management agency and civil defense officials in full emergency mode. Necessary evacuations will be organised for residence and so as broadcasting live alerts through TVs and radio stations. Also, status, reports and HVO websites of the volcano’s activity will also be constantly updated to make sure

Numerous major and minor earthquakes can warn of a volcanic eruption (USGS, 2015). A volcanoe can wipe out miles of homes and wilderness in the surrounding area. To summarize a volcanoe is a dangerous natural disaster caused for an accumulation of pressure and the movement of tectonic plates.

Months after the eruption, people were still being affected. When you would dust, you could sometimes see ash. Also, when there would be stronger winds, it would bring up the ash again; affecting people for about 3 years. Crops were also affected because When farmers would water their crops, and the ash would harden and make the roots a brick of concrete. The fields of alfalfa where a block of cement too! I don’t know about everyone else but I wouldn't want to see ash after that

Additionally, the volcano has had colossal impacts on the environment (both positive and negative). Firstly, the ash has suffocated many of the flora and fauna, furthermore, the pyroclastic flow and lahars have killed all life (excluding human) within a 2km radius. Carbon dioxide emitted from the volcano is predicted by scientists to contribute to the greenhouse effect, sulphur dioxide expected to cause environmental issues as sulphur in the stratosphere is the main cause of acid rain.

Lumps of Lava cool into solid rocks as they fly through the sky, forming rounded chunks that can be also known as bombs, while pieces with corners and sharp edges are named blocks. Both bombs and blocks can cause a great deal of damage. As the volcano begins to burst, the sky fills with choking, smoky powder, while it starts raining lava, and rock. The air warmed quicker than when you pour kerosene on a fire, with a sound so loud it circled the earth four times, red hot lava flows down the side of the volcano and magma spews out the top. The only taste in my mouth is the smoke coming from the lava, as the gas in the air turned all my silver jewelry black. I feel very frightened knowing this is such a normal thing to happen in different