3 Reasons Why The Impacts Of Valcanoes Will Vary?

Question

I need 3 reasons why the impacts of volcanoes will vary and examples.

thanks!

Answer 1

Explosivity - some vocanoes are very dangerous as they erupt explosively causing widespread damage while others are relatively quiet, and can be escaped from.

Gas content - some volcanoes have high volumes of dissolved gases which can poison the area around the vents - CO2 is heavier than air and settles inthe hollows, causing dangerous accumulations. Gas content also affects the explosivity of the volcano.

Climate - volcanoes erupt throwing up a plume of fine dust.  In an area with high rainfall this material becomes saturated and very unstable, and can flow down the mountain causing considerable damage (lahars) Also volcanoes under icecaps can have a disproportionate effect.

Population density - a volcano in a sparsely populated area has less effect on people than one in a densely populated area.  Volcanic soils tend t be very fertile, so people often settle on the slopes of volcanoes.

Local biodiversity - if there is a high ratio of endemic species in an area, the damage will be greater than in a degraded area or one with low biodiversity.