To What Extent Can Preparedness and Planning Mitigate the Effects of Volcanic Hazards?

Volcanic activity happens across the surface of the globe and naturally hazards occur too. A hazard is a situation that poses a level of threat to life, health, property, or environment. It is easy to locate volcanoes, but it is difficult to predict exactly when the activity will take place, and this makes it difficult to prepare for one. The big difference in helping to prepare for a volcanic hazard is whether or not it is in an LEDC or MEDC. Alfred Wegener came up with the theory of ‘Continental drift’ in 1912. He believed there was once a super continent called the Pangaea. He believed this for three reasons; the biological remains of reptiles in India that formed in Brazil, there are rocks in America that are the same as rocks in Europe and climatology – coal is found in Britain but coal is formed in warm, tropical oceans. These are all reasons showing that all the continents were once joined. The opposing coastlines of continents often fit together and mountain belts match when continents are reassembled. This links in with Francis Bacon’s theory of the ‘Jigsaw fit’. He discovered this in 1620 where he believed the major continents appear to fit together, like pieces of a jigsaw. For example, you can clearly fit the east coast of Africa into the west coast of South America. These theories help us to prepare for hazardous events because we are able to locate the potential hazards. It is harder to predict exactly when activity will take place, particularly a major eruption, thus not making it easy to prepare or plan for one. Volcanic hazards have social, environmental and economic impacts, and occasionally being able to prepare or plan for these hazards will reduce the effects of them.
One example of a volcanic hazard is Mount Etna, which erupted in 2002. It is located in the North of Sicily, and is in the same chain as Mt. Vesuvius. It is on a collision margin and was caused when the African plate met the Eurasian plate; they both pushed together and collapsed...