Case Study - volcanic eruption Flashcards
Name a popular volcanic case study that was located in America.
Mt Saint Helens.
What type of volcano was Mt Saint Helens?
A composite volcano.
Why was Mt Saint Helens so destructive?
It was a dormant volcano and when Mt Saint Helens erupted it exploded and was so powerful it destroyed the entire landscape because of the amount o ash stored and the lava burst out everywhere destroying the nearby environment.
What were the long term effects of Mt Saint Helens?
Much of surrounding natural vegetation was destroyed as well; swathes of forest were either burnt by the pyroclastic flows or washed away when Spirit Lake flooded.
As much as 12% of the total crops grown were destroyed by the ash nationwide.
A massive crater was also blown in the northern face of the mountain where the landslide occurred, 3.5 km wide and half a kilometre deep.
What were the short term effects of Mt Saint Helens?
Altogether fifty-seven people were killed, the deaths due to the poisonous gas released during the eruption and the pyroclastic flows, which burnt everything in their path as they raced down the mountain at over 200 miles per hour.
Electric and phone lines were down, affecting the local area.
950 million dollars were paid out by the US government to local businesses to cover a short term dip in the local economy.
