Restless Earth Case Studies

Question 1

What is a case study for how do people use an area of fold mountains?

Answer 1

The Andes in South America

Question 2

What are the ways the Andes are used?

Answer 2

• Farming
• Mining
• Hydro electric power
• Tourism

Question 3

How is the land on the Andes used for farming?

Answer 3

• In Bolivia, many subsistence farmers grow a variety of crops on the steep slopes, including potatoes which are a main source of food.
• Terraces are made which create areas of flat land on the slopes. Terracing offers other advantages in trying to farm in this harsh environment. They retain water in an area that receives little and they also limit the down hill movement of soil in areas where soil is thin.
• Cash crops can be produced - soybeans, rice and cotton.

Question 4

How does mining take place in the Andes mountains?

Answer 4

• Andes is a range that contains many important minerals; nickel, tin, silver and gold.
• The Yanacocha gold mine in Peru, is the worlds largest mine which is a joint venture between a Peruvian mining company and a US-based one that has a 51% share. It is an open pit and the gold bearing rock is loosened by the daily dynamite blasts, then sprayed with cyanide and finally the gold is extracted.
• In the nearby town of Cajamarca mining provides many jobs.

Question 5

How is hydroelectric power created in the Andes Mountains?

Answer 5

• The steep slopes and narrow valleys that limit farming are an advantage for hydroelectric power. This is because they can be more easily dammed than wider valleys and the relief encourages the rapid fall of water needed to ensure the generations of electricity.
• The Yuncan project dams the Paucartambo and Huachon rivers in north-east Peru, while El Platinal project began construction in 2009.

Question 6

Why do tourists visit the Andes mountains?

Answer 6

• There are many natural attractions in the Andes such as mountain peaks, volcanoes, glaciers and lakes.
• Some tourist attractions show how people settled into these inhospitable areas.
• The Inca Trail combines both natural attractions and remains of early settlements by the Incas in Machu Picchu.

Question 7

What is the case study for a volcanic eruption in an LEDC?

Answer 7

Nyiragongo on the 17th of January 2002

Question 8

Background information and location description of Nyiragongo.

Answer 8

The volcano is located on the border of the Democratic Republic of Congo, next to a tiny country called Rwanda. It is 50 km north of the city of Goma in the DRC.

Question 9

What was the cause of the Nyiragongo eruption?

Answer 9

Tension being released along a series of faults along the East African Rift valley. The East African Ridge Valley is located 4,000 km from Mozambique in the south, to the Red Sea in the north. The sections of crust have been pushed up, arched and violently broken.

Question 10

What were the short term effects of the Nyiragongo eruption?

Answer 10

• 80% of infrastructure in the city of Goma was destroyed by the flames.
• The airport was cut in two by one of the flows of lava.
• Parts of the city were turned into waste land from half a mile of lava.
• Lava destroyed main water pipes, homes and set off explosions in fuel stores and power plants.
• 45 people killed

Question 11

What were the long term effects of the Nyiragongo eruption?

Answer 11

• Half a million people fled from Goma into Rowanda. They spent the night sleeping on the streets of Gisenyi. Here there was no shelter, electricity or clean water. Diseases such as cholera were a real risk.
• People were frightened of going back to Goma.

Question 12

What were the short term responses to the Niryagongo eruption?

Answer 12

• Aid agencies such as Christian aid and Oxfam provided clean water, food and shelter to those nearby. This persuaded the people who had fled to Rwanda to come back.
• Measles vaccination given to children

Question 13

What were the long term responses to the Niryagongo eruption?

Answer 13

• Clearing of lava from main streets
• Rebuilding of water and electricity supplies
• Efforts made to reunite families
• People rebuild their homes
• Rebuilding of churches and schools

Question 14

What is the case study for a volcanic eruption in an MEDC?

Answer 14

The Eyafjallajokul in Iceland

Question 15

Background and location description of the Eyafjallajokull volcano

Answer 15

In the south of Iceland lies the Eyafjallajokull volcano. It actually means ‘island mountain under a glacier’ as it refers to the ice sheet as well as the volcano. It is the sixth biggest ice sheet in Iceland of approximately 100km2 and rises to 1,666 metres. Iceland is a country located in North West Europe and it is an island separated from the mainland.

Question 16

What was the cause of the Eyafjallajokull eruption?

Answer 16

Iceland is located on the mid-Atlantic ridge. The North American and Eurasian plates move apart called constructive plates. This causes magma to the surface as an eruption.

Question 17

What were the short term effects of the Eyafjallajokull eruption?

Answer 17

During the height of the eruption, the ash cloud mainly blew south-eastwards away from the volcano, this means that flights became cancelled.

• The 150m thick ice cap meted which caused major flooding to Iceland and 700 people were evacuated.
• It destroyed the main route 1 road
• 20 farms were destroyed
• It affected the coastal sand plain which limited production of crops.
• Delivery trucks carrying milk from outlying farms were temporarily held up.
• Eruption caused sulphur dioxide to be produced which led to an increase in acid rain, killing trees and vegetation.

Question 18

What were the long term effects of the Eyafjallajokull eruption?

Answer 18

• Fine ash sited the rivers caused blockages a year on.
• The 4,000 or so people who live there relied on fishing which was normally exported using planes had to be exported by ferrys.
• Livestock had to be kept indoors for long periods of time.
• The ash contained fluoride which contaminated water supplies and was dangerous to animals.

Question 19

What were the short term responses to the Eyajallajokull?

Answer 19

• Roads were bulldozed to allow flash flood water to reach the sea.
• The European Commissions permitted state aid to those airlines that were badly hit by the shutdowns.
• In September 2010, representatives from the world’s air industries met at Keflavik Airport Iceland to discuss future responses to eruptions.

Question 20

What were the long term responses of the Eyafjallajokull eruption?

Answer 20

• Icelanders are well aware of their country’s environmental hazards and understand what to do.
• Following any natural event that causes damage, assistance and compensation may be available for any losses e.g to farmers
• The government offers an effective Civil protection Department which liaises with all parties concerned, including geological experts, the police, the emergency services.

Question 21

What case study is used for a supervolcano?

Answer 21

Yellowstone

Question 22

Background information for the Yellowstone Supervolcano

Answer 22

• Located in Wyoming, North America
• Yellowstone has a national park
• Magma below Yellostone is shifting - Increasing signs of activity, at Norris the ground has risen 70cm in places
• Caldera is bulging up beneath Lake Yellowstone
• Magma chamber beneath is believed to be 80km long and 40km wide and 8km deep.
• Past eruptions - 2 million and 1.3 million years ago and 630,000 years ago.

Question 23

What would be the consequences if Yellowstone erupted?

Answer 23

• Catastrophic (global climates would change, crops would fail, many deaths)
• Eruption would be likely; to destroy 10,000km2 of land, kill 87,000 people, 15cm of ash would cover buildings within 1,000km and 1 in 3 people affected would die.
• Ah would affect transport, electricity, water and farming.
• Lahars are a probability
• 5 days later the UK would receive the ash.

Question 24

What is the case study for an earthquake in an MEDC?

Answer 24

Kobe, Japan.

Question 25

When was the Kobe Earthquake? How long did it last? What was it on the Richter scale?

Answer 25

• 17th of January 1995 - 5.46 am
• 20 seconds
• 7.2 on Richter scale

Question 26

What was the cause of the Kobe Earthquake?

Answer 26

1) Philippines plate moves towards Eurasian
2) Philippines plate was forced down (oceanic) subduction zone
3) Plates jam together and pressure builds up
4) Pressure was suddenly released and the plate jerked forwards
5) The earthquakes shockwaves traveled out

Question 27

What were the short term effects of the Kobe earthquake?

Answer 27

• Infrastructure destroyed (102,000 buildings destroyed)
• Gas mains ruptured and water pipes fractured
• Sections of elevated roads collapsed
• Railway line buckled and only 30% of the Osaka to Kobe tracks were usable.
• Two million homes were without electricity and one million had to cope without water for 10 days
• Fires engulfed parts of the city, especially the west of the port (devouring wooden structures)
• A lot of the traditional wooden houses survived the earthquake but burnt down in fires caused by broken gas and electricity lines.

Question 28

What were the long term effects of the Kobe earthquake?

Answer 28

• People scared of returning to building damaged by the earthquake.
• The damage caused was in excess $220 billion and the economy suffered.
• Companies such as Panasonic had to close temporarily.
• No electricity for a period of time.
• Short supply of clean/fresh water until April

Question 29

What were the short term responses to the Kobe earthquake?

Answer 29

• Friends and neighbours searched through the rubble for survivors, joined by the emergency services when access was possible.
• Hospitals struggled to cope with the injured, treating people and operating in corridors.
• Major retailers such as 7-Eleven and Motorola who provided essentials and maintained telephone connections free of charge.

Question 30

What were the long term responses to the Kobe earthquake?

Answer 30

• The railways were 80% operational after a month.
• Most roads were operational by July.
• Hanshin Express was not fully operational until September 1996.
• A year after the quake the port was 80% operational but much of the containers shipping business was lost. By January 1999, 134,000 housing units had been constructed but some people were still having to live in temporary accommodation.
• New laws were passed to make buildings and transport structures even more earthquake proof.
• Schools and factories have earthquake drills

Question 31

What is the case study for an earthquake in a LEDC?

Answer 31

Haiti, Caribbean

Question 32

When was the Haiti earthquake? How long did it last? What was it on the Richter scale?

Answer 32

• January 12th 2010
• 35 seconds
• 7.0 Richter scale

Question 33

Background information about Hiati

Answer 33

-Poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.

Question 34

What was the cause of the Haiti earthquake?

Answer 34

Haiti lies on the boundary of the Caribbean and North America plates. The earthquake was formed due to the Caribbean plate sliding east and the Gonave platelet north of the fault was sliding west (transform boundary). A sudden slip at a strike slip fault between the two plates caused the earthquake to form. The epicentre of the earthquake was 10 miles south west of the capital.

Question 35

What were the short term effects of the Haiti earthquake?

Answer 35

• 316,000 people died and 3 million in total affected
• More than a million made homeless
• The capital, Port Au Prince, took a lot of damage where shanty towns and the presidential palace crumbled to dust.
• Haiti government estimated that 250,000 residences and 30,000 commercial buildings had collapsed or where severely damaged.
• The port, other major roads and communications links were damaged beyond repair.
• The roads were left with cracks and fault lines.
• Rubble from collapsed buildings blocked roads and rail links.
• Sea levels in local areas changed, with some parts of the land sinking below the sea.

Question 36

What were the short term responses of the Haiti earthquake?

Answer 36

-Many countries responded to appeals for aid, pledging funds and dispatching rescue and medical teams, engineers and support personnel.

Question 37

What were the long term responses of the Haiti earthquake?

Answer 37

-The EU gave $330 million and the World Bank raised the cou