Geography GCSE AQA

Facts

• June 25th 1997 (small eruptions started in Jully 1995)
• 4.5 mllion m of rock and gas released 
• 19 killed
• Destructive plate margin
• Alantic plate subducted under the Caribbean

Primary impacts

• large areas covered with volcanic material - Plymouth buried under 12m of mud and ash
• 20 villages destroyed
•  2/3 of homes destroyed 
• schools, hospitals airports and the port - destroyed
• 19 people died
• vegetation and farmland destroyed

Immediate responses

• People evacuated - safe areas
• shelters built
• Temporary infinistructure -roads and electricity supplies
• UK provided 17million of emergency aid
• Local emergency services provided support- search & rescue

Secondary Impacts

• Fires destroyed many buildings - Governmentoffices , police headquarters , petrol station
• Tourists stayed away - distributing the economy
• Population decline
• Volcanic ash improved soil fertility 
• Tourism Increase - see volcano 

Long term responses

• Risk map and an exclusion zone is in place
• South of Island is off limits wile the volcano is still active
• UK provided £41 million - new docks airports and houses
• Montserrat Volcano Observatory has been set up to try and predict furture eruptions