Volcanic Eruption Case Study
- Created by: Pi3.142
- Created on: 02-04-17 12:58
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- Soufrière Hills Volcano, Montserrat Erupted 1997
- Info
- Date of Eruption: June 25th 1997
- Death toll: 19 killed
- Causes
- 2) Magma rose up through weak points under the Soufrière hills, forming an underground pool of magma.
- 3) The rock above the pool collapsed, opening a vent and causing the eruption.
- Impacts
- Primary
- Large areas were covered with volcanic material - the capital city Plymouth was buried under 12m of mud and ash
- Over 20 villages and two-thirds of homes on the island were destroyed by pyroclastic flows (fast-heated gas and ash)
- Schools, hospitals, the airport and the port were destroyed
- Vegetation and farmland were destroyed.
- 19 people died and 7 were injured.
- Secondary
- Fires destroyed many buildings including government offices, the police headquarters and the town's central petrol station
- Tourists stayed away and businesses were destroyed, disrupting the economy.
- Population decline - 8000 of the island's inhabitants have left since the eruptions began in 1995.
- Volcanic ash from the eruption has improved soil fertility.
- Tourism on the island is now increasing as people come to see the volcano.
- Primary
- Responses
- Immediate
- People were evacuated from the south to safe areas in the north.
- Shelters were built to house evacuees
- Temporary infrastructure was also built, e.g. roads and electricity supplies
- The UK provided £17 million of emergency aid (Montserrat is an overseas territory of the UK)
- Local emergency services provided support units to search for and rescue survivors
- Long-term
- A risk map was created and an exclusion zone is in place. The south of the island is off-limits while the volcano is still active.
- The UK has provided £41 million to develop the north of the island - new docks, an airport and houses have been built on the north.
- The Montserrat Volcano Observatory has been set up to try and predict future eruptions.
- Immediate
- Info
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