This child has no concept of the fury he is about to unleash

The number one Volcano stopper... EVER

Links that might actually help you in case of Volcanic erruption:

United States Geological Survey Volcanic Hazards Department

Volcano World

Michigan Technological University Volcanoes Page

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory

The Most Dangerous Volcanoe in the World

Literature Cited-

Marshak, Stephen. Essentials of Geology. W.W. Norton & Company, New York. 2004.

Driedger, Carolyn L. Living with a volcano in your back yard, Mount Rainier volcanic hazards [microform] : a prepared presentation for use by public officials and educators / by C.L Driedger, E.W. Wolfe, K.M. Scott ; in cooperation with Washington Military Department Emergency Management Division. 1999.

Decker, Robert, and Decker, Barbara, 1989, Volcanoes: W.H. Freeman and Company, New York (Revised edition).

http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/

http://www.geo.mtu.edu/volcanoes/

http://www.geology.sdsu.edu/how_volcanoes_work/

http://www.uhh.hawaii.edu/~csav/

http://volcano.und.edu/vwdocs/volc_images/volc_images.html

http://www.pitt.edu/AFShome/e/p/epi2170/public/html/lecture15/sld035.htm

http://www.tulane.edu/~sanelson/geol204/volcan&magma.htm

Volcanoes-

A Guide to Survival

http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/vwdocs/vwlessons/atg.html

Volcanoes can be marvelous displays of the Earths Geological complexity; the culmination of hot spots, plate boundaries and rifts. Their beauty, during both active eruptions and inactivity, can be astounding. However, for people who have decided to live near these Behemoths, an active eruption can mean almost certian death to an unprepared resident. This web page is here to illuminate the dangers Volcanoes pose to people, and what to do if the very worst should occur.

www.amie.org/snapshots/

This guy did not read this page

Geologic Processes

To understand how to avoid certain death at a volcanoes merciless downpour, one would be wise to understand exactly what causes Volcanoes and Volcanic Erruptions. "Know thy Enemy", as the wise man once said.

In essence, Volcanoes are vents at which molten rock, gas, aerosols and other kind of debris erupt. Volcanoes are formed in a couple of different ways by the shifting, subducting and melting of tectonic plate. The three major ones are by Subduction zones, rift zones and hot spots.

Subduction zones- Subduction zones occur when oceanic crust is liquifiedas it slides below another plate.

Hot Spots- A hot spot volcano is caused when rising plume of mantle goes through decompression melting causing it to rise to the surface. Hot Spots don't move, but often the plates abouve them do, causing long lines of Volcanoes. The Hawaiian Islands are a result of this type of action.

Rift Zones- A rift zone is an area where plates are moving apart and new lithosphere is created. This most commonly happens in or by oceanic ridges.

A diagram pertaining to the information above

\

http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/volc/nature.html

This is interesting information, no doubt, yet when a lava fountain is ten feet over your head, it won't be doing much good for you. With that in mind this next section deals with the various hazzards a volcano can pose to people, buildings and animals, as well as the enviorment.

Hazards of Volcanoes

Lava- If it makes you feel any better, one thing you'll never have to deal with is Magma. However, that is a small comfort at best, since magma becomes lava as soon as it reaches the surface. This is the most widly known part of volcanic eruptions, and for good cause. While most Lavas flows are too viscous to get the jump on people living near the zone of concentration, they can cause vast economic destruction, burning all in its path. In most cases the best strategy is to run away.

Pyroclastic Erruption- During a pryoclastic erruption, a large ammount of debris and gas can be rocketed out of the volcano at asounding speeds( sometimes 90 m per/sec, in massive quanities. This cloud of debris can crush the roofs of buildings, eat through metal, spread toxic chemicals and tear apart human flesh if the unlucky person is close enough. Also related is Pyroclastic flow, which can race down the sides of Volcanoes at speed of up to 300 km per hour, meaning that it hits with the impact of a bomb. These clouds can also be so hot and/or so poisinous that to take one breath of it is instant death. Avoid these.

Lahars- Volcanic ash can mix with water to create, you guessed it, a deadly force to be reckoned with. They only move about 40 km per hour, but they are incredibly thick and can carry anything that stands in their path. Lahars can see inocuous, but they have been responsilbe for many human deaths, including the destruction of Armero, Colombia, 72 km from the volcano. It reached Armero about 2.5 hours after an explosive eruption sent hot pyroclastic flows across the volcano's broad ice- and snow-covered summit area. About three quarters of its 28'700 inhabitants perished. This was the second highest death toll of any volcanic catastrophy during the 20th century . After the event, the land Lahars have run over often look like a giant scar.

http://www.educeth.ch/stromboli/glossary/lahar-en.html

Earthquakes- Just when you thought Volcanoes was the sum of all your trouble, here a twist. Earthquakes accompany almost all major volcanic eruptions, becuase the rise of the magma means underground disruption, often with subterainian explosions. Often this happens way before the Volcano errupts, which can be a good warning, of an added danger.

Tsunamis- As odd as it may seem, often an volcanic explosion will trigger these. You see, when explosive eruptions occur in the sea, the blast abd the underwater collapse of a caldera can generate huge waves. In Krakatau, these waves were actually what killed most of the inhabitants.

Gas- This is a true killer. Often along with it's various soild state material, a Volcano can release a lage ammount of gas, often carbon dioxide, sulfer dioxide, hydrogen and sulfide. Sometimes, Lava isn't even needed to cause a catastrophy. An gas buildup can cause msavvie loss of life. In lake Nyos, A giant Carbon bubble was expelled from the volcano and calmly slid down the mountain, while the inhabitaints were sleeping. About 1740 people died from suffocation without ever knowing it. It can also be enviormentally devastating, as seem below. One strategy is that since lots of the gases are heavier then air, they will rush down the mountain to lower elevation. In most cases, you probably won't see it, but if for some case, you find out about it, seek high ground and you just might live.

http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/of97-262/of97-262.html

I think you have probably begun to see a problem with suriving a Volcano and its nasty tricks at this point. The fact of the matter is, if you are caught in a Volcanoes radius and it is errupting, it becomes more or less a matter of luck if you manage to survive or not. However, prevention is always the best defense. Here is a selection from the on dealing;

"Against the more violent manifestations of volcanic activity, the only possible protection is escape from the threatened areas. Mass evacuation and other protective measures are more effective if they are planned and organized before an emergency aries. Mass evacuation entails, however, major disruption of normal life for large numbers of people and is only undertaken when the risks of staying in a threatened areas are judged to be unacceptable."

"Awareness of the need to prepare for events such as volcanic eruptions and to provide protection against them, rather than simply to await and endure them, has been growing steadily throughout the world. It is hoped that this handbook will be of help to those involved in pre- disaster planning."

So in the End I leave you with one final gift... A illustration of a bunch of ways a volcano can kill you. Enjoy.

http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/Hazards/What/hazards.html

Page Created by Ryan Newmyer
Page Created April 20th

Please feel free to contact me at newmyry@earlham.edu if you need any help

Copyright © 2004 Earlham College. Revised April 21, 2004 . Send corrections or comments to parkero@earlham.edu