GEOG 112: Written assignment 1 (10% of the course grade)

Please watch the following documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPkBABO7y2M

Make notes on the key points for each volcanic eruption and earthquake event. For Part A,
answer the following questions below, categorised by country. For Part B, follow the instructions
to complete a research report on a volcanic eruption or earthquake event that occurred last year
or this year (2023 or 2024). Please submit the assignment to the eLearn module under ‘Written
assignment 1 dropbox’ on or before 11:59 pm on Monday, 3rd June 2024.
100 marks total
PART A – 25 marks
Montserrat
1) According to the video, how many centuries had the Soufriere Hills volcano on
Montserrat been inactive for before its deadly eruptions beginning mid-1995? (1 mark)

 4 centuries

2) Because of the volcanic eruption, the number of Montserratian inhabitants fell to 4,500
from how many? (1 mark)

 12000
Iceland
3) How many active volcanic systems are there in the territory of Iceland? (1 mark)

 30 active volcanoes

4) Why had most of the fishing boats stayed in the harbour on the day before the Eldfell
eruption? How were they used to save lives? (1 mark + 1 mark)

 Because of storm warming.

 These boats were used to take away the people.

5) Please correctly spell the name of the volcano in Iceland that severely disrupted air travel
across Europe for months. (1 mark)

 Eyjafjallajokull
Indonesia
6) How many people live in the ‘danger zone’ of Indonesia’s Merapi volcano? (1 mark)
 1 million inhabitants
 7) Name two immediate negative impacts to the health of Indonesians living by the Merapi
volcano in the aftermath of its eruption. (2 marks)

 Shortness of breath and cough due to ash.

 High blood pressure.
Democratic Republic of Congo
8) What are two things that make Mount Nyiragongo so unique? (2 marks)

 Lava crater lake

 Highly liquid lava

United States
9) Is it more likely for the earth to be hit by an asteroid, or for the supervolcano at
Yellowstone to erupt? By how many times? (1 mark + 1 mark)

 The likelihood of erupting supervolcano is 5-10 times more than the earth being hit
by an asteroid.
Nepal
10) According to the video, what was the magnitude of the Nepal earthquake in April 2015?
(1 mark)

 7.8 magnitude.

11) According to the USAID team on site, how was it possible for the teenage boy to be
rescued from the rubble? (1 mark)

 According to the USAID team it was possible to rescue the teenage boy from the
rubble because he was in a box with heavy concrete and he was not crushed.

12) How many metres did Kathmandu shift as a result of the earthquake? (1 mark)

 3 meters to the south.

People’s Republic of China
13) How many kilometres away from Chengdu did the 2008 Sichuan earthquake occur? (1
mark)

 80 kilometres
 14) In the aftermath of protests about a significant number of child deaths due to collapsed
school buildings, what did the government conclude about the school building structure?
(1 mark)

 The government concluded that one in five primary schools may have been shortly
constructed and unsafe.
Chile
15) What was the main cause of the casualties in the Chile earthquake in 1960? (1 mark)

 The large tsunamis triggered by the initial quake.

16) How many meters high were the waves that hit the town of Puerto Saavedra? (1 mark)

 11.5 meters
Haiti
17) Name two landmark buildings that were either significantly damaged or completely
demolished as a result of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. (2 marks)

 Presidential palace
 The national assembly building.

18) What is the defining characteristic of a strike-slip fault, the type on which Haiti is
situated? (1 mark)

 Where one side moves past the other in a horizontal fashion.

India/ Pakistan
19) What type of terrain is present in Kashmir that made rescue efforts difficult in the
aftermath of the Kashmir earthquake in 2005? (1 mark)

 Mountainous terrain

20) How long was access to the region cut off, as a result of rockfalls and landslides after the
earthquake? (1 mark)

 For several days.