Edexcel IGCSE Geography - 3.2 - Case study of short term and long term impacts of a volcano
Mount Merapi
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Where is Mount Merapi?
On the island of Java, Indonesia
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How high is Mount Merapi?
3000m
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Has it erupted before?
It has been erupting frequently for over 600 years
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What tectonic activity caused the eruption?
The volcano and its eruptions were caused by the Indo-Australian Plate being subducted beneath the Eurasian Plate.
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When did the eruption start?
Monday 25 October 2010
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When did the eruption finish?
30th November
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Where is the volcano located?
The volcano is located on a destructive plate margin, at a subduction zone, part of the Pacific Ring of Fire
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How many people live on the slopes of the mountain?
11,000
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Primary effect 1
Volcanic bombs landed over 11 km away and heat clouds, with temperatures up to 800°C, spread over a distance of 10 km.
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Primary effect 2
Pyroclastic flows travelled 3 km down the heavily populated mountain sides.
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Primary effect 3
Volcanic ash fell up to 30 km away and travelled 6 km into the sky. Villages, such as Bronggang, 15 km from the volcano, were buried under 30 cm of ash.
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Primary effect 4
The toxic gas Sulphur dioxide was blown across Indonesia, the Indian Ocean and as far south as Australia
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Secondary effect 1
Ash, rock and lava deposited on the sides of the volcano was washed down into local towns by rainfall.
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Secondary effect 2
Food shortages meant that vegetable prices increased because of the damage to crops.
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Positive impact 1
The ash was ploughed into the fields and will make the area fertile to grow crops again.
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Negative impact 2
353 - mostly from pyroclastic flows
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18.How many people were injured?
577 - many with burns and breathing problems from the sulphur dioxide gas
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