4.3.3

Secondary Effects of Volcanoes

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Secondary Effects of Volcanoes

The secondary effects of volcanic eruptions include:

Volcanic winter

Volcanic winter

  • Ash can cause a volcanic winter by entering the upper atmosphere and reflecting sunlight.
  • This causes cooling of around 2-4oC.
  • This can cause famine as crops don’t ripen.
Lahars

Lahars

  • Lahars (mudflows) can destroy everything in their path, including buildings, homes, workplaces.
Lost forests and farmland

Lost forests and farmland

  • After an eruption, forests and farmland can be lost.
  • This happened when Mt. Saint Helens erupted in 1980, where 9.4 million m3 of timber was lost.
Flooding and tsunamis

Flooding and tsunamis

  • Tsunamis can happen as a result of tectonic (relating to the structure of the Earth’s surface) activity.
  • These cause flooding and salinisation (increasing the salt content) of land. This happens because seas inundate (flood) the land.
Infrastructure damage

Infrastructure damage

  • People may become homeless if their houses are damaged or destroyed.
  • Roads and train lines may be blocked, harming the clean-up operation and the local economy.
  • This can also disrupt tourism.
Increased soil fertility

Increased soil fertility

  • Once it has been broken down, ash can actually make fields become more fertile and better for growing crops.
Economic damage

Economic damage

  • If a country's farmland, transport system and people are harmed, the country's economy is also likely to suffer.
Jump to other topics
1

Paper 1 - Changing River Environnments

2

Paper 1 - Changing Coastal Environments

3

Paper 1 - Changing Ecosystems

4

Paper 1 - Tectonic Hazards

5

Paper 1 - Climate Change

6

Paper 2 - Changing Populations

7

Paper 2 - Changing Towns & Cities

8

Paper 2 - Development

9

Paper 2 - Changing Economies

10

Paper 2 - Resource Provision

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