Essay
A-Level Geography Volcanic event example essay
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- AQA
An A-Level AQA Geography example answer on volcanic hazards based off of paper 1 example questions.
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With reference to a recent volcanic event, assess the extent to which you agree thatphysical factors are more important than human factors in determining the level of
impacts experienced by the local population. (20 marks)
(Edits)
PLAN:
Volcano event: Eyjafjallajökull
Physical Factors – volcano type (composite) – mid Atlantic ridge. Ash cloud.
Human factors – air travel ceased. People evacuated from area.
Answer:
I partially agree with this statement as physical factors such as the explosivity of a volcanic
eruption and the type of volcano can have a greater impact on the local population than
human factors, but the response and prevention can also have a large impact.
Between March and May 2010, the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull erupted with an
explosivity index of 4. The Icelandic volcano is unique as it is a stratovolcano when it should
really be a shield volcano as it is located on a divergent plate boundary. This unique
formation occurred due to the location of Iceland on the mid-Atlantic ridge, a constructive
plate margin separating the North American plate and Eurasian Plate. These two plates are
driven by ridge push along the mid-Atlantic ridge resulting in faster movement. The location
of Iceland has had a large impact on the development of Eyjafjallajökull as due to its location
on the mid Atlantic ridge, as magma filled the magma chamber beneath the volcano, several
magma chambers combined to create a significant volume of magma, resulting in a more
explosive eruption and a composite volcano. This enhanced explosivity meant that the
impacts of the volcanic eruption were experienced on a global scale. For example, as a result
of the volcanic eruption, a large ash cloud was produced, blocking out the sun and
preventing air travel for several weeks. This ash cloud also impacted local people as the air
become polluted meaning that masks were handed out to prevent chocking. Additionally,
the ash cloud contaminated local water supplies with fluoride and prevented imports of
food into Iceland. This cut off Iceland from the rest of the world.
A human factor that caused the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull to be a large threat to local
people is that seismologists predicted that the Volcano ‘Katya’ would erupt instead, giving
little time to respond and prepare for the event. This shows how mistakes in prevention and
prediction can have a large impact on the experiences of local people.
Due to Iceland’s extreme temperatures and northern location in the arctic circle, the
volcano is covered by an ice cap. This physical factor resulted in glacier melt and flooding
after the eruption of the volcano, putting the surrounding settlements at risk. As a result of
this, an evacuation of 700 people was put in place to remove those in risk from the danger
zone around the volcano. This caused a displacement of people within Iceland as they were
removed from their homes and put into temporary housing. Despite the negative human
factor of not predicting the eruption, due to the low number of locals n the effected zone
and the fact that Iceland is an HIC and therefore has well-structured and well-trained
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