Volcanoes

economic uses and impacts on people

What is a volcano?
A volcano is a conical hill or mountain formed by material from the mantle being forced through an opening or vent in the Earth's crust.

How?

A volcanic eruption occurs when magma rises to the surface. Lava pours out of a crater and, with time, builds up a cone-shaped mountain.

Where?
This happens at both constructive and destructive plate boundaries.

No one usually lives near the top of a volcano. Why?

It is a wasteland of bare ground from previous eruptions. The volcano can still be active and not safe for people to enter.

Why do people still live near volcanoes?

Old lava flows from hundreds and thousands of years ago have weathered to form deep fertile soils here. Volcanic soils are some of the world's most fertile, because they are rich in minerals of many different types, as well as being well drained and easy to work.

+ve s & -ve s

Far fewer people are killed by volcanoes than by earthquakes. There are sometimes warning signs of a new eruption, so that people have more time to prepare and, if necessary, be evacuated from the danger area. New activity is often confined (Restricted) to the top of the mountain, where no one lives. If a volcano keeps on erupting for weeks, months, or even years, the destruction in a wide area around the volcano can be total - houses, crops, animals, wildlife, trees, and plants can all be covered by heavy layers of lava, ash, and dust.

Report
The Soufriere Hills volcano has destroyed more than half of the land area of the island of Montserrat in the West Indies since 1995 It had not erupted for 350 years. Erupted in May 1980; massive explosion created a crater, 3km long and 0.5 km deep, on the north face every tree in the blast zone was flattened set off a major mudslide, a mixture of rock, ice and soil, destroying everything in its path.

Mount St Helens located in Washington State, USA:

Impact of the Soufriere Hills volcano on Montserrat A Before the eruption B After the eruption

Revision
Explain why volcanoes
can be dangerous to people living nearby kill far fewer people in the world than earthquakes.

Describe what Montserrat was like before the eruption. Refer to where most people lived, land uses and economic activities. Describe what has happened after the eruption. Use these headings loss of life, damage caused, population movement and economic dislocation (lost sources of income).

A Before the eruption B After the eruption