Areas of Volcanic and earthquake activity.

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Areas of Volcanic and earthquake activity.

In an area of volcanic and earthquake activity, there is potential for a lot of benefits as well as hazards which result from tectonic activity. The benefits are : lava and ash weather rapidly, basic lava may produce fertile soils ideal for farming ( e.g. the area surrounding Mt Etna) if it is carefully managed. The fertility of acid lava is much lower. Igneous rocks contain minerals such as gold, copper, lead and silver, which are very profitable if located. Extinct volcanoes may provide defensive settlement sites (e.g. Edinburgh). Igneous rock is used for building purposes, so that provides an economic use that the rock can provide. Geothermal power that the volcano can give off, can be isolated and turned into electricity ( e.g. Iceland and New Zealand). Geysers and volcanoes provide a good tourist attraction that can be economically beneficial, generating revenue for local communities (e.g. Yellowstone National Park).

The hazards that these can produce include : the fact that earthquakes destroy building s that collapse and crush and kill people. Violent eruptions with blast waves and gas may destroy life and property ( e.g. Mt St Helens). Earthquakes and Volcanic eruptions can set off Tidal Waves/Tsunamis which wipe out buildings on the coast, drown many people and destroy land and crops. Ejection of ash and lava ruins crops and kills animals. The tremors and ash and explosions interfere with communications, this can inversely prevent rescue workers finding trapped people, drowning people etc, resulting in possible deaths. Short term climatic changes occur as volcanic dust absorbs solar energy, lowering temperatures and increasing rainfall.

These benefits and hazards can wreck an area, then after a period of reconstruction and redevelopment, they will benefit and area. This is true in the area of the Philippines where Mt Pinatubo is located on a destructive plate margin where the Philippines Plate moves towards the subduction zone of the Eurasian Plate. This is an area where ash and lava from previous eruptions had weathered into a fertile soil, ideal for rice growing, also subsistence farming. In 1991 Mt Pinatubo began to show signs of erupting in early June. Fortunately, there were several advance-warnings signs which allowed time for the evacuation. On June 12th an explosion sent a cloud of steam and ash 30km into the atmosphere. 50cm of ash fell nearby, and over 10cm within a 600km radius. The eruptions were characteristically accompanied by earthquakes and torrential rain - except that he rain fell as thick mud when joined with he thick cloud of ash. The ash destroyed all crops on adjacent farmland and its weight caused buildings to collapse including 200,00 homes, a local hospital and many factories. Power supplies were cut off for three weeks and water supplies became contaminated. Relief operations were hindered as many roads became impassable and bridges were destroyed. In long term effects the thick fall of ash ruined the possibility of planting for the next harvest. Over 1million farm animals died, many through starvation due to the lack of grass. Many people were forced to seek shelter in shanty type refugee camps. Disease broke out which included Malaria , chickenpox and diarrhoea. The eruptions and their effects were blamed for about 700 deaths

This eruption created a lot of destruction and devastation to the Philippines area, with all the ash and lava, it will again have created fertile oils ideal for farming, if the people who lived there were to return. The igneous rock will have unearthed many minerals which could in the future provide a strong economic revenue. With the huge crater it made after the explosion with the view of the lake formed in its crater and the distinct landscape that cannot be compared to other mountains here. One can see the different sand or ash formations along trail and at the peak the blue and calm waters of the lake. So the increase in development will provide revenue for the area but there is risk that the volcano will erupt again, so there is a risk of returning and continuing to live in the same area, but perhaps that is the only feasible thing that the residents could do. Therefore possible problems would arise, and the only real income the area could use would be from tourism and farming on the volcanic earth. The terrain would have been destroyed and opened up which will not make it the most popular destination until cleared up. So there are possibilities for economic development but with many risks.
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This is a map of the area around Mt Pinatubo:-

River Basins.

In a river basin area, there are a great number of possibilities for economic growth. It is more sensible to split a river basin up into the upper, middle and lower course parts of the river. In the upper course, the land tends to be very steep and there is little land in the way of a floodplain, this creates a very fast flowing river which can benefit man for HEP use, where the speed of the water creates energy which man can utilise ...

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