Extracts from this document...

Introduction

Compare and contrast the hazards associated with volcanoes and mass movement. Volcanoes and mass movement are two very different geological events that support the same ideas but these ideas are created in different situations. These situations then tend to link the to together because of the actions of the volcano when it erupts and causes mass destruction. Volcanoes have many hazards but these hazards only really become hazards if humans are near to the volcano if there were no humans then there would be no threats and no hazards. The first main hazards created by volcanoes are ash clouds these clouds cover everything can affected the environment badly. The first problem they cause is that it blocks out sun light and this can sometimes lead to wetter weather later on or extended winters because the ash blocks out the sunlight. The ash can also damage crops in the surrounding area it will also damage the housing because the excessive amount of ash that build up on the housing put stress on the building which will then cause the building to collapse. If the ash builds up on an unstable area then it can cause mass movement, which will then devastate large populated areas because the ash will cause extensive damage. ...read more.

Middle

These are created when a layer of rock becomes unstable and can no longer support its own wait so the it breaks away and slides down to the ground until it finds a stable angle of rest. Avalanches are usually caused either by the weight of the ice and the snow becoming to much which then causes the snow to flow down the mountain. Or it also tends to be when the snow becomes to warm and parts of it breaks away from the rest and slides down the mountain. Minor vibrations can also cause the avalanche when it becomes unstable and this can cause it to slide. Generally the build causes mass movement up of water between the layers which makes the land unstable. Or it can be caused by minor movement which can cause the land to move quickly or just to creep until the land gives way and slides away causing damage to the land that was being supported by the land. There are many similarities between the hazards that are associated with volcanoes and mass movement. The first one would be a landslide that can be triggered in many ways but the main way would have to be vibrations that are sent through the ground these vibrations do not have to big to start a landslide. ...read more.

Conclusion

Volcanoes are associated with heat and lava flows but mass movement does not need heat to trigger it off in most cases it has been heavy rain that has caused mass movement to happen. When there is a large build up of water under the layers the pore pressure is reduced and it causes the land to be unstable causing landslides and creep. Hazards linked to mass movement and volcanoes have been to link the two together for example mount St Helens that had many examples of mass movement. When Mt St Helens erupted in May 18th it showed many examples of mass movement that were linked to its eruption. The first area of mass movement was the one sided of the volcano sliding down creating a huge landslide which caused large scale devastation to the surrounding land it also caused a pyroclastic flow which wiped out extensive amount of the surrounding area of land. The eruption also melted the glaciers on the summit of Mt St Helens and this caused huge lahars or mudflows, which carried large boulders, and this wiped out large areas of forest. There were also many landslides, which were not as bad as the first main slide, but they still caused some damage. ?? ?? ?? ?? James Davie 1 20th March 2002 ...read more.

This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our AS and A Level Hazardous Environments section.