Mt. Pinatubo Flashcards
Statistics and Facts
Where is Mt. Pinatubo located?
The island of Luzon in the Philippines.
When did Mt. Pinatubo erupt?
1991 (from the 7th - 10th of June).
What is the population and GDP of the Philippines?
105 million people and in 2019 the GDP was $3,246 per capita.
What percentage of people work in the primary sector and tertiary sector in the Philippines?
30% and 47%
Why did people not want to leave their homes after the warning Mt. Pinatubo would erupt?
It would mean leaving their livelihoods and the Aeta people refused to leave their home on the flanks of the volcano. And many believed their God would protect them (fatalism).
During the second eruption how much tephra was ejected from the volcano?
5km3 of material was ejected 35km into the air.
After ash settled on rooftops, what made it become so dangerous?
The same day as the second explosion Typhoon Yunya struck and the heavy rain caused the ash to become saturated. This made the ash compacted and around 5 times heavier than compact snow.
How many people were killed due to the eruption?
847 people
In the Philippines, how many houses were destroyed and how many were left homeless as a result?
8000 completely destroyed and 1.2 million people were left homeless.
Why was the 1991 rice harvest of the Philippines ruined?
800km2 of farmland was destroyed equal to a cost of $77 million
How many people were killed by disease?
600 people
How much SO2 was released and what effect did it have globally?
~20 million tonnes so global temps dropped by about 0.5°C from 1991 to 1993
What were two direct long-term effects of the eruption?
Pyroclastic flow deposits that filled valleys where some still reached temps of 500°C in 1996. Lahars are mudflows that can reach around 30km/hour transporting >1000m3 of debris and will happen spontaneously.
What were the failings of the initial response to the eruption?
In the 30km evac zone only 86% of people received an evac order - with 30% of those people receiving it 2 days after the eruption. Eventually only 46% evacuated.
What humanitarian aid was supplied afterwards?
The UN contributed $332,000. While relief items such as medicine and food were supplied from many developed countries.
