map

Glossary
* Dormant
1　
　

- condition of volcanoes that is not active

but can be active again

* Mercalli scale
2
　

– a scale for expressing strength of an

earthquake ranging from I to XII

* Seismographs
3　
　

-an instrument that measures and

records details of earthquakes

* Lahars
4　
　

-a destructive mudflow on the slopes of a

volcano

Bibliography
Pictures showing before and Text book
after the eruption
"Pinatubo, Mount." Answers.com. 2008. 3
Mar. 2008
Before after <http://www.answers.com/topic/mount-
pinatubo?cat=technology>.

Utts, Thomas C. "EVAC TO SUBIC." Clark Air

Base Scrapbook. 2001. 3 Mar.
2008 <http://zcap.freeyellow.com/subic/atubo2.
html>.
before, during and after the diagram showing what was happening when Mt. Pinatubo
the eruption erupted

before
Before Mount Pinatubo erupted, the area
around it was rich in farmland. About 30 000
people were living in small villages and were
farming rich soils on the slopes of the
volcano. More than 250 000 people were
living in Angeles City 25 km to the east of Mt.
Pinatubo. Most Philippinos were not worried
about the volcano since it had been dormant*
1　
　 for more than 600 years. However on the
16th of July 1990 there was an earthquake of
about 8 on the Mercalli* scale. The following
3　
　

year in the middle of March, villagers started

to feel weak earthquakes frequently. Clark Air
Base (refer to map) received warning from
the seismographs* and they evacuated
2　
about 14,000 people.
during
On the 12th of June, the first eruption started.
There was a deep rumbling boom. Dark
clouds appeared and cold wind blew. The sun
disappeared and ash began to fall from the
sky. When the cloud went away, there was
2cm of ash on the ground. The same thing
occurred on 13th and 14th of June. Everyone
was terrified.
By Saturday 15 June, the ground was
covered with 5 to 6cm of ash. Around 9 a.m.,
a huge rumble happened. At 9.30, over
after
The last eruption happened on the 15th of
June. They had caused incredible
destruction. More than 1.2 million people
were affected and killed over 700 and injured
184. 50,000 became homeless and 650,000
workers were out of work. Houses were
buried in ash and many buildings had
collapsed from the weight of the ash. Mud,
trees and vehicles blocked roads. About 4000
km2 of farmland were turned into wasteland
by lahars* . In Manila (refer to the map) the
4　

mt. Pinatubo before the eruption
125,000 km2 around the volcano was covered
with cloud from the eruption and it was mid-
night dark. Unfortunately, a violent Typhoon,
Yunya, passed 75 km north of the volcano at
the same time and rain mixed with ash and
mud fell from the sky. Also rocks rained
down. Water supplies and power lines were
damaged so water, electricity and telephones
all failed. Mt. Pinatubo released 20 million
tons of sulphur dioxide, a poisonous gas.
Soon the earthquakes began. They call that
day ‘Black Saturday’.
International Airport was closed for 4 days for
the ash in the air interrupted air trafiv. Public
buildings were made into evacuation centers
to house refugees.
7 years after the eruption, the area started to
recover. Wild animals started returning to the
slopes of Mt. Pinatubo. Also in Angeles City,
the tourism industry came to fashion.