Geography Department- Newbridge College

Junior Cert Geography Case Studies

Chapter 1: The Earth
Iceland: A Volcanic Island Case Study Iceland is a Volcanic Island- The mid Atlantic Ridge is exposed above the ocean surface. It is 20 million years old making it one of the youngest countries on the Earth. Iceland was formed when the Eurasian and American Plates Separated In Iceland the magma heats underground water. Some of this water comes to the surface as hot springs or geysers... These attract tourists to places such as the Blue Lagoon. Hot springs are used to: Generate geothermal energy Centrally heat houses in areas such as Reykjavik. Heat greenhouses for vegetables. . A Volcano- Mt St Helens Case Study It is a mountain peak in the Rockies in the U.S.A. It was formed by a series of volcanic eruptions over thousands of years. It erupted violently in 1980 after being dormant for over 120 years. Clouds of steam, ash and gas escaped in a tremendous eruption. This steam and hot ash melted snow-capped mountains and caused serious mudflows.
This volcano killed 57 people and killed plant and animal life for hundreds of miles.

An Earthquake/Tsunami that I have studied- Case Study This answer can be used for both an earthquake and a Tsunami:

Geography Department- Newbridge College An Earthquake that I have studied is the Southeast Asian Earthquake and Tsunami that occurred on December.26th, 2004. This Earthquake/Tsunami occurred when the Indian plate collided with the Burma Plate in the Indian Ocean. It measured 9.0 on the Richter scale and lasted 8 minutes. It affected 11 countries in Southeast Asia with the majority of damage being done in Sri Lanka, Sumatra and Thailand. It caused the deaths of over 320,000 people, severe damage and loss of land and property. Immediate Effects: Death and destruction. Loss of land and damage to property. People are forced to move out of their homes.

Long-term effects: Spread of diseases. People can be moved out of their homes for long period of time. Economic damage-damage to tourism, banking, industry etc.