Analyse the Factors That Cause Differences in the Hazards Posed by Volcanoes Around the World

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Analyse the factors that cause differences in the hazards posed by volcanoes around the world (40 marks) A hazard is a situation that poses a level of threat to life, health, property or environment, all of which can be compromised by a volcano. A volcanic eruption can cause many deaths, illnesses, destruction of property, crops, and livestock, also the economy of an area may be affected, amongst other things. However, there are many factors involved which can cause differences in the severity of destruction caused by a volcano such as, settlement, monitoring, plate boundaries and the economic status of a country; which would be different for every single volcano around the world. One factor that would cause differences in the hazards posed by volcanoes is settlement, which includes where people chose to live in relation to a volcano. For example, in Indonesia many people settle near Mount Merapi because of the rich and fertile soil favoured for farming. As Indonesia is a poor country many people rely on subsistence farming, therefore are willing to risk everything by settling beside a volcano. Furthermore, in the last eruption in 2010 360,000 people were displaced from their homes, meaning not only did they lose their home but also their livelihood; hundreds also lost their lives. Therefore, the hazards posed could have been minimalised if people chose to settle elsewhere. However, this isn’t the same all around the world due to different types of volcanoes. For example, Grímsvötn in Iceland is a basaltic volcano which mostly lies underneath Vatnajokull icecaps, therefore there would only be minor hazards due to settlement, as no one would want or could live as close to Grímsvötn as people do Mount Merapi. Iceland is also a richer country so none of its residents would rely on subsistence farming. Overall, this shows that settlement can be a huge factor in
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