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Chapter 13 earth systems volcanoes
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Volcanoes can be one of the most destructive forces on Earth. It is estimated that some 500 million people live near active volcanoes (Lutgens and Tarbuck, 2013). Of the Earth's known volcanoes, 70 can be expected to erupt each year with at least one large eruption each decade (Lutgens & Tarbuck, 2013). As populations continue to increase and more people are attracted to the beauty surrounding these areas, the immediate threat to humans from these sometimes sleeping giants grows. Due to this, the study of volcanoes and the service that volcanologists provide to the public by way of information and predictions on activity is immeasurable. Named for the Roman god Vulcan, volcanoes have both intrigued and frightened mankind for centuries. Human like footprints dating back 300,000 years have been found in the solidified lava of Roccamonfina volcano in Italy (Onion, 2013). These footprints, called the "Devil's Trail" appear to indicate that these ancestors were escaping an eruption. In Turkey, a 9,000 year old painting depicting a volcanic eruption was discovered in 1964 during an excavation of Catalhyuk (Oskin, B., 2012). Perhaps one of the most famous written accounts of a volcanic eruption was written in 79 A.D. when Pliny the Younger wrote of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in Italy. His uncle, Pliny the Elder, a naturalist, was killed after the eruption while trying to help the residents of Pompeii. Today the type of eruption that Mount Vesuvius encountered all those centuries ago is referred to as "Plinian" and was used to describe both the 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens and the 1991 eruption Mt. Pinatubo. (Ball, J. n.d.). Volcanology or Vulcanology, as it is sometimes called, is the study of vo... ... middle of paper ... ...ry. Retrieved from http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/volcanowatch/archive/2003/03_12_04.html What does a volcanologist do? (n.d.). Volcano World. Retrieved from http://volcano.oregonstate.edu/what-does-volcanologist-do Williams-Jones, G., Vigouroux-Caillibot, N., van Hinsberg, V., Williams-Jones, A. (2010). Applications of the MultiGAS Sensor to Geothermal Exploration and Monitoring: Comparison of Plume and Fumarole Gas Compositions at Kawah Ijen Volcano, Indonesia. The Smithsonian/NASA Astrophysics Data System. Retrieved from http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2010AGUFM.V23D..02W Unzen, Japan. (1994). Volcano World. http://volcano.oregonstate.edu/vwdocs/volc_images/img_unzen2.html USGS Volcanic Activity-Alert-Notification System. (modified March 14, 2012). Volcano Hazards Program. Retrieved from http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/activity/alertsystem/index.php
There are many pro’s for attempting to forecast an earthquake or volcano. Forecasting an earthquake or eruption saves lives and property, mainly by preparation, as there is no way to prevent these events with today technology.
On the afternoon of 24th August 79 AD, a volcano called Mt. Vesuvius erupted, which resulted in destroyed lives of citizens, it was estimated that there were 10 to 12 thousand people who occupied the city .The cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum and a few others were severely affected by the eruption. The cities are well known for its beautiful landscapes and its temperate climate.Pompeii is based in the south, close to Naples in the region of Campania in Italy.The eruption started a series of events such as pumice,rocks and ashes falling down and caused hot volcanic gases to rise high in the sky, people from around 100 miles away could see the event unfolding.The remains of Pompeii and other cities was frozen in time due to the pyroclastic surges
Tanguy, J.-C., Ribiere, C., Scarth, A., & Tjetjep, W. (1998). Victims from volcanic eruptions: a revised database. Bulletin of Volcanology , 137-144.
On May 22, 1915, an explosive eruption at Lassen Peak devastated nearby areas and rained volcanic ash farther 200 miles to the east! This explosion was the most powerful in a series of eruptions from 1914 through 1917. ...
Although volcanoes are difficult to predict, geologists have made many efforts in order to caution the people of Orting and other surrounding towns of possible lahar slides. Residents have been made aware of emergency response plans and they know the proper precautions to take in the case of a volcanic activity emergency. Sirens have been put into place by the fire department and governing bodies of surrounding communities that detect volcanic activity and warn the community of ...
BOOM!, BOOM!, BOOM!, explosions, ash, carbon dioxide and, magma going everywhere burning buildings and people, starting to kill people every second. This can only mean one thing the volcano is erupting and a bad one, this volcano is called Mount Vesuvius this eruption covered Pompeii with layers of ash and hardened magma until Pompeii was rediscovered as the result of intentional excavations in 1748 by the Spanish military engineer Rocque Joaquin de Alcubierre. There is a fiction and nonfiction version of the story of pompeii one story is by Louis Untermeyer The Dog of Pompeii is fiction and one other story by Robert Silverberg called Pompeii which is nonfiction.
Helen’s Latest eruption was May, 18 1980. Only 57 people died in the disaster while in Pompeii, more than 2000 people died. The reason why that pompeii had more people die, was because, First of all, they didn’t have the technology to tell them whether the volcano would erupt or not. Secondly, they didn’t know the volcano would erupt, because of earthquakes happening all the time. Finally they didn’t realize they needed to get out until it was too
Many of us know Mount Shasta to be a beautiful mountain and a popular tourist location in California. However, this mountain is much more than that, this mountain is actually a volcano. Volcanoes come with a number of hazards and a volcano of this size is of no exception. Previous eruptions on Mount Shasta have given us an idea of the power this volcano has and the damage it may do. With this information scientists are able to predict what may happen should another explosion occur.
The eruption on Mount Saint Helens has a specific cause and comes with many effects. A multifold of people would say that the “mountain looked like the site of an atomic blast” (Bredeson 30). That is a very accurate depiction as it took great power to inflict as much damage as it did. The reason for this impressive amount of force is that when magma is built up with pressure and an earthquake hits, the pressure gets magnified and the volcano explodes (Lewis). This is exactly what happened inside Mount Saint Helens. Furthermore, it has been revealed that “The earthquake that triggered the explosion was a 5.2 on the Richter scale” (Gunn 559). The earthquake to the magma can be compared as a match to gasoline. Even though the earthquake was not huge, the scale of the eruption was much greater than that of the earthquake (Gunn 560). The earthquake was only the trigger that allowed for more devastating things to occur. Thirteen hundred feet of the volcano were lost in the explosion followed by landslides, mudslides, and lava flows...
Stories about volcanoes are captivating. Myths come in different versions, but all of them are capable of capturing yours, and everybody’s imagination.
The way that these three components interact is one of the main focuses of petrologists and volcanologists.
From modern examples and records we know that volcanic activity can set of a chai...
Mount Vesuvius is a strato-volcano consisting of a volcanic cone (Gran Cono) that was built within a summit caldera (Mount Somma). The Somma-Vesuvius complex has formed over the last 25,000 years by means of a sequence of eruptions of variable explosiveness, ranging from the quiet lava outpourings that characterized much of the latest activity (for example from 1881 to 1899 and from 1926 to 1930) to the explosive Plinian eruptions, including the one that destroyed Pompeii and killed thousands of people in 79 A.D. At least seven Plinian eruptions have been identified in
Many people say that the earth is a living planet. Due to the fact that it is constantly changing, this statement holds true. The earth is always moving, both inside and out. Whether one thinks it is good that humans live on a planet that moves is good or not, everyone is affected. This is because when Mother Earth moves, people all across the world will feel it. There are many dangers that the Mother Earth and its geology present to human life. These things lay resting, waiting to be awakened. Things such as tornadoes, tsunamis, hurricanes, and even earthquakes are the very things that affect people in a way that changes them forever, whether it is by taking a life or destroying a home. All of these things are very destructive, but none like volcanoes. A volcano is a mountain or hill that has a crater through which lava, rock fragments, hot vapor, and gas are being or have been erupted from the earth's crust, as stated by Webster’s dictionary. They are formed when magma within the Earth's upper mantle works its way to the crust. This accumulates and forms a magma chamber. Over time this grows larger and a volcano is created. They hold scorching hot lava in their stomachs waiting for the right time to release it. Volcanoes are both incredibly dangerous and extremely destructive. There are literally countless volcanoes that are on earth; however, many of these volcanoes are not a threat because they are either dormant or extinct. Mt. Vesuvius is an active volcano; however, before discussing this volcano, the deliberation of the types of volcanoes must be talked about. There are three different types of erupting lives of volcanoes: extinct, dormant, and active. (Timothy Oleson)