Earthquakes and Volcanoes

Volcanoes
A volcano is formed when magma erupts onto the earth’s surface as lava through
the vent in the earth's crust.

Features of a Volcano

Feature Characteristics
Lava Magma that reaches the surface
Pyroclastic
Clouds of mixed poisonous gases and ash
flow
Ash Very fine-grained volcanic material
Lahars Snow and ice melt and combine with the ash, creating lahars.
Main vent Central tube through the volcano
Secondary Eruptions from other vents lead to the formation of secondary
cones cones on the sides.
Crater Bowl bowl-shaped basin at the top of the volcano
Magma
A large underground pool of magma
chamber

 How do volcanoes form?

o Magma rises through cracks in the Earth’s crust
o Pressure builds up (inside Earth)
o Pressure and tension are released → Plate movement
o Magma explodes to the surface, causing an eruption
o Lava cools and forms a new crust
o Over time, rock builds up, and new crusts form on top, forming a volcano.

Impacts of Volcanic Eruption:

Environmenta
Human
l
Pyroclastic flow Loss of life and injury
lava flow collapse and destruction of buildings
volcanic bombs transport network damaged
Laharas Loss of jobs and businesses
earthquakes Loss of crops
ashfall Power and water supply damaged
landslides
Tsunami
acid rain
ash fallout

Opportunities of Volcanos:

The cooled lava contains minerals, leading to a

Fertile soils
high yield of crops.
Tourism Many people want to visit the area and study it.
Minerals and precious
They can be sold, providing more work and income.
stones
the magma gives out heat, which can be used to
Geothermal energy
generate geothermal energy.
Creating new land
once the lava and ash cool forms new fertile land.
areas

 Stages of Volcanoes:
o Active: has erupted recently and is likely to erupt again.
o Dormant: has not erupted recently but may in future
o Extinct: no evidence to erupt again.
 Types of Volcanoes:
 Low viscosity (runny lava) - basaltic
Viscous (thick) - andesitic lava
lava
Low in height, gently sloping sides with High in height, steep-sided volcanic
a broad base cones
Low silica content (covers long High silica content (covers short
distances) distance)
Frequent eruptions but low in
Rare eruptions but in high magnitude
magnitude
High temperature Low temperature
Low gas content High gas content
There is little build-up pressure. Enormous build-up pressure
 Causes of eruptions:
o At constructive margin, plates move away from each other; magma rises to fill the
gap;
o At the destructive margin, oceanic crust melts from friction and heat from the mantle;
newly formed magma is lighter, so it rises to the surface
Distribution of Volcanoes:
 Earthquakes
Earthquakes
An earthquake is a sudden violent shaking of ground followed by a series of
vibrations or movements in the earth's crust.
 How earthquakes happen:
o Tectonic plates move; they strike.
o Pressure and tension build up as the plates try to move.
o Eventually, they jolt free and pressure and tension are released inside the crust as
energy.
o The energy passes through the earth’s crust as waves, an earthquake.
 Features of earthquake:

Features of earthquakes
Focus: point of earthquake
Epicentre: point directly above the focus, on the ground
 Features of earthquakes
Seismic waves
Shaking ground
Subduction zone: occurs at a destructive margin; one plate goes under the
other
Magnitude: the amount of energy released.

Effects of earthquakes
A large number of deaths
Fires breaking out
Water pipes burst
Water contamination, diseases
Corpses: human & animal
Accessibility difficult
Building damaged/destroyed
Tsunami can follow
Reconstruction costs
 Reduce impacts of earthquakes:
Prediction Preparation
Measure earth tremors, pressure, and release Build earthquake-proof
of gas buildings
Use maps and facts to find patterns in
Train emergency services
time/location
Unusual animal behaviour Set up a warning system
Seismometer Create evacuation plan
Richter scale Emergency food supply
Prepare earthquake kit
Earthquake-proof buildings:
Tectonic Plates