Chances Peak, Montserrat, 1995-1997
Why did it happen?
Soufriere Hills is situated on a destructive plate boundary. A destructive plate boundary this is where two plates are forced towards each other by convection currents. The two plates hit each other and in this case the Atlantic plate is sub ducted under the Caribbean plate causing large amounts of friction and heat melting the rock. Magma (molten rock)builds up under the Atlantic plate, and when the pressure has reached a very high level the magma is forced up through the Atlantic plate, causing a volcanic eruption.
EffectsPrimary and Secondary
Primary effects
Soufriere Hills is situated on a destructive plate boundary. A destructive plate boundary this is where two plates are forced towards each other by convection currents. The two plates hit each other and in this case the Atlantic plate is sub ducted under the Caribbean plate causing large amounts of friction and heat melting the rock. Magma (molten rock)builds up under the Atlantic plate, and when the pressure has reached a very high level the magma is forced up through the Atlantic plate, causing a volcanic eruption.
EffectsPrimary and Secondary
Primary effects
- At least 4 square kilometres of land covered in pyroclastic flow (Environmental)
- 4-5 million cubic meters of lava covered the landscape (Environmental)
- Nineteen people killed (Social)
- Capital city Plymouth was covered in a layer of ash, creating complete darkness for 15 minutes (Socio-economic and Environmental)
Secondary effects - Fires started as building and gas pipes were set alight, and 1000s of animals were smothered (Social, Environmental)
- Farm and forest land wiped out by mud slides (Environmental)
- Toxic smoke and ash poisoned water sources (Envronmental and Socio-economic)
- Towns and villages are made uninhabitable (Social)
Because Chances Peak - Monsterrat is an LEDC, there are a lot less buildings, houses and people around that could be possibly destroyed or killed. This means, a lot of the classifications of the impacts are Environmental, rather than in a MEDC's case, socio-economic.