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Mount Etna
Page created by Ryan Sutton & Jason Stapley
Class: 8HGG
Contents
Effects of Mount Etna Eruption
The Future – How can Mount Etna be managed
Introduction
Mount Etna is in Sicily which is an island
famous for pizzas, pasta and the Mafia
It is a
stunning 3340m high which is one of the
tallest volcanoes
in the
world today. It last erupted in 1992. The
whole of
Sicily was devastated,families were distraught by
the loss of their loved ones thanks to the
tyranny of the volcano.
Causes of
Volcanoes
Volcanoes
are found where there are cracks in the tectonic plate.
Volcanoes are
formed when plates (huge sections of the earths crust),
rub against each other causing an earthquake
which later can bring a volcano
to the
surface. If one plate is forced down back into the liquid mantle lava forces
its way to the surface as a volcano, this is called subduction. Plate
boundaries are where 2 plates meet. Plates can move in 3 main directions.
1.
Is
when the plates moves towards each other that is called Destructive,
2.
Then
when the plates move away from each other that is called Constructive,
3.
And
finally when they slide pass each other this is called Conservative.
Also
building on delicate ground can trigger a vicious volcano.
Effects of Mount
Etna Eruption
Hot molten
lava spews out of the vicious volcano, up the vent and blasts out of the crater
of the cone shaped hazard. When it erupts.The volcano causes brutal damage to
the beautiful 
island of Sicily Lava is thick and
hot but is so fast it flows like a river, The lava, hot molten (melted rock) destroys
everything in its path – houses, hotels, restaurants and good farmland. Ski
lifts and and orange groves were also destroyed, the island lost lots of money
through this eruption. It did not move very fast but could not be stopped – 15km/h.
Poisonous gas and volcanic bombs were also thrown out of the crater.
The lava cooled
down and then it will turn to stone. It will then break down into good fertile
soil.
In the
first eruption it destroyed many of the facilities in Sicily including
Ski slopes
and cable cars.
The Future –How can Mount Etna be
managed?
This
problem can be resolved by building various volcano
defences such as building concrete wall to
stop the flow of the
volcano also an idea a very expensive idea
but an effective idea
Is that the
engineers at mount Etna could build a channel into the sea.
In the
future scientists say that they are going to try and divert the lava so
That it
will not flow into the major areas of Sicily. Digging ditches and trying to stop
the lava is hard, some people think you can through water on the lava to stop it!
Farmers
remain to live here because of the good, fertile soils. Also lots of tourists
come here to view this disaster sight and even hope to get a glimpse of an
eruption.
