Earth and Space Sciences Regents, August 2026, question 14
Tap an image to open it full size.
What the figure shows
The passage says that from September through December 2021 thousands of earthquakes, called an earthquake swarm, were detected beneath the Cumbre Vieja volcano on La Palma, and that eruptions released volcanic ash and lava flows. A map titled Portion of La Palma Showing Cumbre Vieja Volcano shows the volcano on the east side and a shaded area covered by lava stretching west to the Atlantic Ocean. Places named on the map include El Paso, Tazacorte, Tacande de Arriba, La Laguna, La Costa, Los Campitos, Las Norias, San Nicolás, La Bombilla and Jedey; the map is not drawn to scale.
How to think about it
First find what the passage says about when the earthquake swarm and the eruption happened, and put the two events in order. Then list every hazard the passage names, not only the lava, and think about what officials would need to do to protect people from each one. Check any place named in a choice against the map.
Which statement best describes how the earthquake swarm most likely helped predict another natural hazard and allowed communities to prepare for a larger natural disaster?
Choice 1 is right. Earthquake swarms can happen as magma moves up under a volcano, and they may warn of an eruption. That warning gave officials time to plan evacuations from the lava flows. Volcanic ash in the air can damage aircraft engines, so suspending air travel in the region protected people from the ash.
This choice reverses cause and effect. The earthquake swarm came before the eruption and warned of it, so the eruption could not predict the swarm. On the map, Las Norias also lies at the edge of the lava-covered area, which is a poor place for a shelter.
This choice has the order of events right, but it is narrower. On the map, Jedey lies south of the lava-covered area, and the choice covers only evacuations there. It leaves out the volcanic ash, which the passage says the eruptions released and which affected the whole region.
This choice reverses cause and effect: the swarm came first and warned of the eruption. Opening shelters on Cumbre Vieja, the volcano itself, would also put people at the source of the lava and ash.
