Volcanoes: The Causes And Effects Of Volcanoes

Volcanoes are very dangerous and can cause harm more than by its lava flow. Things that volcanoes cause in addition to the lava flow are ash flows, lahars, mudslides, and tsunamis. Lava flows are exactly what it says, flows of hot lava. This lava is hot enough, between 500 degrees Celsius and 1400 degrees Celsius, to burn through practically anything. Ash flows, or pyroclastic flows, are just like lava flows but pyroclastic flows are just flows of fast moving hot gases and rocks. This kills more people than lava flows actually do because pyroclastic flows move fast while lava flows move in a slower manner. Lahars are destructive mudflows on the slopes of a volcano. This type of mudflow carries pyroclastic materials, rocks debris, and water. Tsunamis are also caused when volcanoes erupt. This is because if the volcano releases its stress on the side where the body of water exists, the properties of the volcano will empty out into the water causing massive waves across it. No matter what kind of happening that a volcano causes, it can be very detrimental to the people that it affects. (volcanoes.usgs.gov)

There have been many volcanoes throughout the history of the world to have a great eruption and be recorded. For instance, Mount Pinatubo erupted in Luzon Philippines of 1991. This strato-volcano, or composite volcano, is located along a chain of volcanoes along a subduction zone. Live Science maintains that “a column of ash spewed 21 miles (34 kilometers) into the atmosphere, opening like an umbrella to form a cloud 249 miles (400 km) across.” Along with this, Mount Pinatubo’s ash mixed with rain and created solid mud that was similar to the toughness of concrete and it destroyed the roofs of houses. Another destructive volcano w...

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...lay in the streets of Pompeii: some kneeling, some crawling, all yearning for a breath of fresh air yet receiving nothing but an intake of a cloud of ash. This image, a preserved visual reminder of just how devastating this eruption was, will forever capture the very last awful minutes that these individuals suffered through. Over a third of Pompeii still remains buried under the ash and debris of the eruptions. Since the eruption of 79 A.D., Mt. Vesuvius has had an eruption cycle of about twenty years, but its last serious eruption was the 1944 eruption. Today, this area is the most popular touring place in Italy. People come daily to see what Mount Vesuvius destroyed after its twenty-four hours of terror. Scientists continue to keep an eye on it and continue to wonder whether or not an eruption severe as the 79 A.D. eruption will ever occur again. (Lauren Tarshis)