Mount Pinatubo: a Case Study

Mount Pinatubo
Type: Composite cone/
Stratovolcano
Height: 1486 meters
Eruption type :Plinian/ Ultra- Plinian
(1991)
Eruption style: Explosive
Notable Ejections:
10
of magma and 20,000,000
tonnes
Oldest Historic Eruption: 1315
Most Recent Eruption: 1992
Number of Eruptions in 20th
Century: 2
Largest Eruption: 1991
Volcanic Explosivity Index : 6
Notable Statistic: Second largest
eruption of the 20th Century in
terms of amount of material blown
out of the vent. Affect on global
weather. 722 deaths.
Status: Dormant
Currently dormant

Mount Pinatubo is an active

stratovolcano located on the island of
Luzon in the Philippines. Pinatubo is
nestled in the central part of the
Zambales mountain range. The
volcano lies 55 miles northwest of the
capital city of Manila. With an
elevation of 1,486 meters, Pinatubo is
composed of andesite and dacite.

Mount Pinatubo before

erupting
Before the eruption, Mount Pinatubo
was covered with tropical vegetation
and was home to more than 30,000
people who lived in villages on its
slopes. Thousands of other people
lived in the valleys surrounding the
volcano, including U.S. military
personnel stationed at Clark Air Base
and Subic Bay Naval Station. Before
1991, there had been no record of
volcanic activity.

Eruption
An eruption of steam blew from the
top of Mount Pinatubo on April 2,
1991. After receiving the report of
activity, seismologists began
observations of Pinatubo's seismic

Mount Pinatubo: a Case Study

activity. This was the first time that monitoring had occurred at Pinatubo. Since there was no
background information on seismic activity in the area, it was difficult to determine if the occurrence
was normal or not.
As the frequency of the earthquakes increased and steam began erupting from the volcano, people
recognized the seriousness of the situation. On June 7, local authorities declared the highest alert and
ordered evacuations for a 20-kilometer radius around the volcano. By June 10, about 25,000 people had
evacuated from the villages around the volcano and over 14,000 families evacuated the nearby U.S.
military base in Clark.
On the afternoon of June 15, 1991, Pinatubo's most intense eruption began. Pyroclastic flow deposits
filled valleys and a huge plume of volcanic ash and gasses escaped into the atmosphere. In the
aftermath, Mount Pinatubo had formed a crater of 2.5-km diameter.
The volcano's eruption also had significant global environmental effects. Mount Pinatubo ejected
millions of tons of sulfur dioxide gas into the atmosphere, forming a cloud over the earth and decreasing
average worldwide temperatures by almost 1 degree Fahrenheit for several years after the eruption.
The sulfur dioxide, which mixed with water and oxygen in the atmosphere to create sulfuric acid, also
contributed to a rapid destruction of ozone. The ozone layer hole over Antarctica reached its largest size
when observed the year following the eruption.

Eruption of Mount Pinatubo

In order to prevent more casualties, the evacuation radius was increased to 40 km. However, the
volcanic ash and rain formed heavy muds that rained down on densely populated areas. About 200
people died from collapsed roofs.
At first there were earthquakes, small explosions and emissions of steam and minor ash. The
earthquakes and emissions continued and increased. After more than 2 months of increasing activity,
strong explosions culminated in one of the largest eruptions of this century. During more than 15 hours,
volcanic ash plumes went straight up to 30 km altitude into the sky. The ash plumes spread out in the
air in the days after the first explosions. Within ten days, the cloud formed a nearly continuous band
that stretched 11.000 kilometres from Southeast Asia to Central Africa!
The accompanying thick volcanic mudflow, or lahar, killed 800 people, made about 50,000 people
homeless, affected 87,000 ha (214,980 acres) of rice farmland, and destroyed numerous fishponds, river
valleys, bridges, and villages.
The violent explosion on the 15th of June in 1991 broke away a big part of the top of the Pinatubo. The
summit of the volcano collapsed into the under laying magma chamber. The result was an enormous
depression, the caldera, with a 2.5 kilometre diameter!
The silting of river channels and trapping of rainwater in an area of 300 km2 (116 mi2) formed Lake
Pinatubo, now 10 m (33 ft) deep. Permanently submerged in this lake are 500 structures, including
houses, churches, and schools. The 1991 eruptions are believed to be the major reason why
temperatures dropped globally in 1993 and the largest hole yet recorded in the ozone layer occurred
over the South Pole.
The new summit of the volcano was 145 meters lower than before the explosion.

Mount Pinatubo: a Case Study

PRIMARY EFFECTS

SECONDARY EFFECTS

ENVIRONMENTAL

Ash cloud covered 125000 km3

bringing darkness to central
Luzon
Volcanic ash smothered 80000
hectares of land.
150
of reforestation
projects destroyed.

Lahars caused severe erosion

to rivers
Ash and rain fall as mud
Global cooling caused by the
ash
Temperatures dropped by
273.5K
Acid rain product of Sulfur
Dioxide emission
Ozone depletion due to Sulfur
Dioxide emission

ECONOMIC

800
agricultural land
destroyed
800000 livestock and poultry
killed costing 1.5 billion pesos

Cost of economic recovery: L10

billion
Loss of farmers money because
of death of crop
Cost to repair power supplies

SOCIAL

847 people killed by collapsing

roofs
Ash and pumice destroyed
42000 homes
1.2 million people lost their
homes

100 people killed by lahars

500 people died from infectious
diseases cause by evacuation
Fragmented Aeta society
because of resettlement
Contamination of water
supplies