The extent to which volcanic processes represent hazards depends on where and when they occur
A hazard can best be defined as a 'situation that poses a level of threat to life, health, property or the environment.' The overall impact of volcanoes as a natural hazard varies greatly depending on the time and place. Different plate margins known as constructive and destructive on volcanic eruptions and landforms have different effects for example. Volcanic activity that occurs at a destructive plate margins such as in Mount Merapi & Mount St. Helens eruption potentially could be an explosive volcanoes which are hazardous but even then both of these volcanoes can be effected differently still.
When the volcanic eruption occurs is a factor that leads to how big the hazard from the impact of the volcano can be for example if a volcano takes place early in the morning, people won’t be able to respond to the problem. This can’t be prevented as people wouldn’t know when exactly a volcano will take place or the time. This can be seen with Mount Pinatubo of the Philippines along with Mount St. Helens, located in Washington, USA. Volcanoes are natural events which cannot be prevented; the timing therefore cannot be predicted. For example in Mountain Pinatubo, Philippines erupted at 1:42 PM, when the area would have been densely populated on the Island. The biggest effect time of day has ever had in terms of creating surprising fatalities could be Nyos. Around 9 p. m. on Thursday 21 August 1986 in Cameroon an enormous volume of carbon dioxide gas was released from Lake Nyos, a volcanic crater lake in Cameroon. The gas flowed down towards nearby settlements and killed approximately 1,800 people, 3000 cattle, and countless wild animals, birds and insects – in short almost every living creature for miles around. This demonstrates the issue of time.
Where a volcanic process or eruption occurs can be effected by the economic development of the country that a volcano would erupt...