| Physical Geology 2004 |  |
Vesuvius 79 AD
Etna 1669
Pelee 1902
Paricutin 1943
Bezymianny 1956
Mt.
St. Helens 1980
Related Links:
The Deadliest Volcanic Eruption
What is a volcano? A volcano is a vent at which melt from inside the Earth spews out onto the planet's surface. The melt is called lava.
How does it effect the climate? It has been stated in many pieces of literature that you can say a volcano brings a black plague on society, when it erupts.
Volcanoes can be extremely
harmful when they erupt. Richard Strothers a climatoligist has linked
many
volcanic eruptions to the bubonic plague, or the Black Death in the
last 2,000
years.The
most powerful volcanic eruptions can toss many of sulfur dioxide
gas high into the atmosphere. In turn the gas mixes with water vapors
and it will create sulfuric acid. This will begin to spread. As it
spreads across the atmosphere, it will block the suns radiation, that
will effect the jet stream and it will send it south. When the jet
stream goes south it also takes some cold air from the north pole
and it causes climates like Europe and the Middle East
to be chilly and humid. This is what brings on the growth of rodents.
Rodents are carriers of fleas that carry pestis, which is the bacteria
that causes bubonic plague.
As for the world- affects of volcanic eruptions, this only happens when there are large explosive eruptions that throw material into the stratosphere. If it only gets into the troposphere it gets flushed out by rain. The effects on the climate have not been figured out. It depend on the size of the particles, if they are big then they let sunlight in, but it does not let heat radiated from the Earth's surface out.
If the particles are smaller, then they block some of the incoming energy from the Sun and the Earth cools off a little. There are all kinds of effects on the wind circulation and where storms occur, and just about anything else you can think of.
Some folks think that large eruptions can cause the weather phenomena called "El Nino" to start.
Large-scale volcanic activity may last only a few days, but the massive outpouring of gases and ash can change climate patterns for years. The reason it will change, is because of the stratosphere. The loose particles can linger up to four or more years.
How do volcanoes effect people? Volcanoes effect people in good and bad ways.The bad way volcanoes effect people is by homes, farmland,buildings,and roads being destroyed. It even causes death.
aPros and Cons: Although volcanoes are known for their violent eruptions and hot lava, believe it or not they have benefits for society. For example, a volcano helps enrihc soil for farming, and in the same respect it can destroy the crops as well. The volcanoe provides a reservoir to store groundwater. The earth's most valuable resources are found in volcanoes, those resources being sulfur ,zinc,copper,lead, and uranium just to name a few. The Lava is also helpful, because even though it may harm alot of the speices it will also restore artifacts and fossils that geologist and scientist can learn from.
Volcanoes bring alot of jobs to a place, because you have tourist and scientist who travel all over the world to get a visual of what a volcano looks like.
People also live close to volcanoes because, geothermal energy can be harnessed by using the steam from underground which has been heated by the Earth's magma.
fossilized
fish preserved by volcano
Author: Timothy Taylor
Created on April 15, 2004eation/revision date: April 19, 2004
Link to other Student Webpages for 2004 Earlham Physical Geology
This website was
prepared as an assignment
for Geosciences 211
(Physical Geology) taught in the spring of 2004 at Earlham College, Richmond,
Indiana.
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Earlham College· Geosciences Department · Earlham Geosciences 211: Physical Geology |
Copyright © 2004 Earlham College. Revised April 19, 2004 . Send corrections or comments to parkero@earlham.edu