Mount Etna case study

Question 1

Where is mount Etna located?

Answer 1

Sicily, a large volcanic island in the south of Italy, an AC in Southern Europe
African plate subducting beneath Eurasian plate (convergent plate boundary)

Question 2

How has Mount Etna been formed?

Answer 2

African plate subducting beneath the Eurasian plate at a convergent plate boundary - over thousands of years has led to the formation of a composite volcano, built up on layers of pillow basalt, a shield volcano, eruptive centres (Valle de Bove) and the uppermost layer - a stratovolcano - built from lava flows and pyroclastic material

Question 3

Give some facts about Etna and its eruptions

Answer 3

Europe’s largest volcano (10,000m high)
Series of cones where flank eruptions occur
Most volcanic activity is low-level effusive activity - due to less viscous basaltic lava - “aa” lava flows
More than 1,000,000 people live on Etna’s slopes

Question 4

Give some statistics on the level of development in Italy

Answer 4

GDP per capita is US $35,000
HDI high - 0.887
4.2 doctors per 1000 people
300 million kWh of energy used per year
99.2% literacy rate

Question 5

Why do people choose to live on Mount Etna’s slopes

Answer 5

One of Europe’s most popular tourist destinations - thousands visit its very active slopes every year. Generates lots of income through guided tours, souvenirs, cafés and restaurants etc. and provides employment for local people, who can give tours, work in gift shps, hotels etc.
Many people have an emotional attachment to the volcano - generations of families have lived there - important part of their culture with sentimental value or significance
Lava flows and volcanic activity make the soil incredibly fertile with minerals and nutrients - can be exploited and used as farmland to generate income from crops which are of very high quality and can be grown and harvested efficiently - also history of farming in families, even for subsistence
Mining - valuable minerals can be formed from volcanoes such as Etna, which can be sold to generate GDP - sulfur too

Question 6

What were the impacts experienced by people as a result of volcanic eruptions?

Answer 6

Zafferana flow 1992 - fast effusive “aa” lava - cut off springs that provided water for local people, destroyed all farmland and housing (small village) in its path and therefore entire livelihoods - lava tubes were formed
2002-2003 Etna Nord eruption - destroyed a popular ski resort (including a ski lift and tourist centre) in piano provenzana, reducing income coming from tourism. Explosion of a water tank injured 30 people. Major airport - Catania - had to be temporary closed down with no flights due to the dangers to plane engines and visibility due to the ash and volcanic material in the atmosphere. Large amounts of ash in surrounding agricultural land which had to be cleared. Lava flows also completely destroyed farmland and livelihoods, and even some small settlements of people. Lava flows had to be diverted to stop them from heading through larger towns. More than $8 million was immediately required for financial assistance. Forest fires had to be put out using planes picking up water from the sea and dropping it over.

Question 7

How have volcanic eruptions on Etna been mitigated?

Answer 7

Zafferana - operation volcano buster - international operation deployed by the US government - large concrete blocks dropped to stop runny “aa” lava quickly travelling through lava tunnels and destroying agricultural land and local housing (mitigating against event)
National efforts by Italian Civil Protection, military and CFCRV - long term analysis (seismometers), lava diversion channels, dynamite and explosives used to stop lava flows - plans put in place so that when eruptions occur they are prepared - well established sequence of events and services and alerts - people in each sector of the management plan have been well-educated on exactly what to do and ensure good communication between all parties (mitigating against vulnerability and losses)
Quick rebuilding, e.g. of new tourist centre and ski lift in Piano Provenzana (mitigating against loss of income and employment)
Building design to resist ash fall (mitigating against vulnerablity)