Analyse the factors that causes differences in the hazards posed by volcanoes around the world (40 marks)

A hazard can be define as something which poses a level of threat the life, health, property or environment, a volcano can compromise all these things through the many hazards volcanoes presents. Such as lahars, flash flooding, landslides, pyroclastic flows, ash clouds and many others. There are factors which can influence the severity of the hazard and cause differences in them and can be classified into different categories, such as physical, economic, political and social.

One physical factor which causes differences in a volcanic hazard is the steepness of the volcano. If the volcanoes sides are of a steep gradient then the
If the volcanic is located near a settlement, like many are, then the hazards it poses are going to be much greater. The city of Naples, for example, is located just 14 KM from Mt Vesuvius which is likely to erupt again in the future, therefore the hazards posed by the volcano are intensified the closer to the volcano the settlement of human activity is. The population density of the settlement could also be a factor, if the settlement has a high population density like in Nyirgongo then the hazard would pose a much greater threat as a lot more people would be affected. Whereas in Iceland, where population is sparsely populated, hazards such as lava flows aren’t as much of a threat as in Nyiragongo. So humans could, potentially, stop these hazards simply by not living in close proximity to them however this would not ever happen.

How economically developed a country is can also cause differences in hazards posed by volcanoes. An MEDC would be able to arrange a more efficient and coherent evacuation plan in comparison to an MEDC. In Nyiragongo for example there is political unrest therefore their ability to manage and prepare for an eruption is small, intensifying any hazard posed by the volcano whatever it may be. However just because a country is an MEDC doesn’t mean all hazards aren’t as threatening. The