Volcanoes: Deadly blow

By: Julie PerezNatural Disasters

What is a Volcano?

A volcano is an opening in the Earths’ crust through which molten lava, ash, and gases are ejected. A volcano is a link that exposes the mantle onto the surface of the crust.

3 Different kind of Volcanoes:

Just like humans, volcanoes come in all different shapes and sizes. The 3 different volcano types are:

Shield

Composite or strato

Cinder

Shield Volcano

Some of the worlds largest volcanoes are shield volcanoes. A shield volcano tends to “flow” rather than “blow”. Meaning that lava tends to flow down the sides of the volcano rather than explode.

Mauna Loa is located in the big island of Hawaii. It’s the biggest shield volcano in the world.

Composite or Strato Volcano

Composite volcanoes are build from layers and layers of past eruptions, making them thousands of meters tall. These types of volcanoes build up thicker magma which block the volcan,o making it more likely to erupt violently. Composite or strato volcanoes are the most famously known, and more dangerous.

Mount Fuji is a great example of a composite volcano. Past eruptions have layered on top of each other making it the tallest mountain in Japan, standing at 12,389ft tall.

Cinder-Cone Volcanoes

Cinder cones are relatively smaller volcanoes. These types of volcanoes can be build up within months or years. Cinder cones are commonly found on flanks of larger volcanoes, along faults, and along cracks.

The Parincutin cinder cone volcano that rapidly grew in Dionisio Pulido’s cornfield in 1943. The lava flow took over the town of San Juan Parangaricutiro, leaving only the bell tower of the church.

Paricutin Volcano today.

Yellowstone “Caldera”

Calderas are very large craters formed from violent explosions that destroy the volcano , rather than build it further After eruption, the walls cave in and a lake may form, Yellowstone for example.

Armero, Colombia 1985

Nevado del Ruiz is a large, glacier covered volcano in Columbia. Its historic for generating volcanic mudflows from small volume eruptions. On Nov. 13, 1985, Nevado del Ruiz had a steam explosion. Officials didn't’t consider the explosion serous and told residents to go back home. Later on that evening the Red Cross issued an evacuation, but was later called off due to decrease volcanic activity.

Armero, Colombia Cont.

At exactly 9:08pm the volcano began erupting. Due to a storm above the volcano, the eruption was blocked from view of the residents below. As the ice caps melted off, the rivers swelled and sent off deadly floods and mudslides. As the waters went down the volcano they picked up debris and dirt, forming hot lahars (mudflow caused by hot pyroclastic material that melts, dissolves or loosens snow and dirt).

Cont.

Two hours after the eruption, the lahar hit the town of Armero. In just minutes, most of the town was swept away. 75% of the town residents disappeared. The volcanic flows killed 23,000 people, injured 4,500, and left 8,000 people homeless.

Conclusion

This assignment has really taught me a lot about the dangers of volcanoes. Before, I thought the only way a volcano could kill you was by lava. From doing this research I learned that it can kill you in different ways. By inhaling the dangerous gases the volcano releases, by the ash it erupts, and by the lahars. The story that really got to me was the volcano in Colombia. I would have never thought a volcano would kill by producing a mudflow. In the end, we need to know about or surrounding hazards and learn to prepare for any kind of disaster.

Works Cited

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"Deadly Lahars from Nevado Del Ruiz, Colombia." Deadly Lahars from Nevado Del Ruiz, Colombia. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Aug. 2014.

Keller, Edward A., and Robert H. Blodgett. "Volcanoes." Natural Hazards: Earth's Processes as Hazards, Disasters, and Catastrophes. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2006. N. pag. Print.

"Natural Seven Wonders: Paricutin - Cornfield Volcano." Natural Seven Wonders: Paricutin - Cornfield Volcano. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Aug. 2014.

Pravas, V.Shalem. "Power of Nature:." Read and Digest. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Aug. 2014."A Shield Volcano...Mauna Loa (elevation 13,678 Ft Amsl)." Flickr. Yahoo!, n.d. Web. 08 Aug. 2014.

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