Thursday, April 12, 2012

Political, Social and economic issues associated with a volcanic eruption

A sudden violence of volcanic eruptions causes catastrophe and devastation. Volcanic Eruptions have devastating impact of volcanic activity on nearby landscapes and communities. Many people are killed, and large numbers of people have to abandon their homes and lands forever. Even the whole world’s climate was changed for a while as a result of an eruption. Governments have to pay enormous amounts to rebuild cities and towns. People become more terrified and havoc fills surrounding towns.

Volcanic eruptions are one of Earth's most dramatic and violent agents of change. Not only can powerful explosive eruptions drastically alter land and water for tens of kilometers around a volcano, but tiny liquid droplets of sulfuric acid erupted into the stratosphere can change our planet's climate temporarily. Eruptions often force people living near volcanoes to abandon their land and homes, sometimes forever. Those living farther away are likely to avoid complete destruction, but their cities and towns, crops, industrial plants, transportation systems, and electrical grids can still be damaged by tephra, ash, lahars, and flooding.
Fortunately, volcanoes exhibit precursory unrest that if detected and analyzed in time allows eruptions to be anticipated and communities at risk to be forewarned with reliable information in sufficient time to implement response plans and mitigation measures.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Volcano Diagram

The Types of Volcanoes


Cinder cones



Cinder cones are the simplest type of volcano. They are built from particles and blobs of congealed lava ejected from a single vent. As the gas-charged lava is blown violently into the air, it breaks into small fragments that solidify and fall as cinders around the vent to form a circular or oval cone. Most cinder cones have a bowl-shaped crater at the summit and rarely rise more than a thousand feet or so above their surroundings. Cinder cones are numerous in western North America as well as throughout other volcanic terrains of the world.

Composite volcanoes

Some of the Earth's grandest mountains are composite volcanoes--sometimes called stratovolcanoes. They are typically steep-sided, symmetrical cones of large dimension built of alternating layers of lava flows, volcanic ash, cinders, blocks, and bombs and may rise as much as 8,000 feet above their bases. Some of the most conspicuous and beautiful mountains in the world are composite volcanoes


Shield Volcanoes


Shield volcanoes, the third type of volcano, are built almost entirely of fluid lava flows. Flow after flow pours out in all directions from a central summit vent, or group of vents, building a broad, gently sloping cone of flat, domical shape, with a profile much like that of a warrior's shield. They are built up slowly by the accretion of thousands of highly fluid lava flows called basalt lava that spread widely over great distances, and then cool as thin, gently dipping sheets. Lavas also commonly erupt from vents along fractures (rift zones) that develop on the flanks of the cone. Some of the largest volcanoes in the world are shield volcanoes

Mount St. Helens

Elevation: 2,550m / 8,364ft

Location: 46°11’N 122°11’W

Last Eruption: 2008

Country: USA


Volcano Type: Composite Volcano

Mount Rainier

Elevation: 4,392m / 14,411ft

Location: 46°51’N 121°45’W

Last Eruption: 1854

Country: USA


Volcano Type: Cinder Cone

Mount Baker

Elevation: 3,285m / 10,778ft

Location: 48°46’N 121°48’W

Last Eruption: 1880

Country: USA


Volcano Type: Composite Volcano

Mount Adams

Elevation: 3,743m / 12,281ft

Location: 46°12’N 121°29’W

Last Eruption: 500 BC ± 1000 years

Country: USA


Volcano Type: Cinder Cone

Mount Washington

Elevation: 2,376m / 7,790ft

Location: 44°19’N 121°50’W

Last Eruption: 670 AD

Country: USA


Volcano Type: Shield Volcano

Jordan Craters

Elevation: 1,400m / 4,600ft

Location: 43°08’N 117°27’W

Last Eruption: 1250 BC

Country: USA

Volcano Type: Shield Volcano

Mount Jefferson

Elevation: 3,199m / 10,492ft

Location: 44°42’N 121°48’W

Last Eruption: 950 AD

Country: USA


Volcano Type: Composite Volcano

Black Butte

Elevation: 1,962m / 6,436ft

Location: 44°23’N 121°38’W

Last Eruption: 1,430,000 years ago

Country: USA


Volcano Type: Cinder Cone

Mauna Loa

Elevation: 4,169m / 13,679ft

Location: 19°30’N 155°36’W

Last Eruption: 1984

Country: USA


Volcano Type: Shield Volcano

Mauna Kea

Elevation: 4,208m / 13,796ft

Location: 19°48’N 155°30’W

Last Eruption: 2460 BC ± 100 years

Country: USA


Volcano Type: Shield Volcano

Kilauea

Elevation: 1,247m / 4,091ft

Location: 19°27’N 155°17’W

Last Eruption: 2010

Country: USA


Volcano Type: Caldera

Mount Shasta

Elevation: 4,317m / 14,162ft

Location: 41°24’N 122°11’W

Last Eruption: 1786

Country: USA


Volcano Type: Shield Volcano

Mammoth Mountain

Elevation: 3,371m / 11,059ft

Location: 37°38’N 119°02’W

Last Eruption: 1400

Country: USA


Volcano Type: Shield Volcano

Long Valley Caldera

Elevation: 3,390m / 11,122ft

Location: 37°36’N 118°48’W

Last Eruption: Pleistocene

Country: USA


Volcano Type: Caldera

Mount Baldy

Elevation: 3,480m / 11,420ft

Location: 33°54’N 109°33’W

Last Eruption: 8-9 million years ago

Country: USA


Volcano Type: Shield Volcano

Mount Wrangell

Elevation: 4,317m / 14,163ft

Location: 62°00’N 144°01’W

Last Eruption: 1999

Country: USA


Volcano Type: Shield Volcano

Mount Churchill

Elevation: 4,766m / 15,632ft

Location: 61°15’N 141°42’W

Last Eruption: 1250 years ago

Country: USA


Volcano Type: Shield Volcano

Mount Redoubt

Elevation: 3,108m /10,197ft

Location: 53°26’N 168°80’W

Last Eruption: 2009

Country: USA


Volcano Type: Cinder Cone

Mount Martin

Elevation: 1,863m / 6,112ft

Location: 58°10’N 155°21’W

Last Eruption: 1953

Country: USA


Volcano Type: Cinder Cone

Mount Katmai

Elevation: 2,047m / 6,716ft

Location: 58°16’N 154°57’W

Last Eruption: 1912

Country: USA


Volcano Type: Shield Volcano

Mount Iliamna

Elevation: 3,053m / 10,016ft

Location: 60°10’N 153°50’W

Last Eruption: 1876

Country: USA


Volcano Type: Composite Volcano

Mount Fisher

Elevation: 1,112m / 3,648ft

Location: 54°39’N 164°26’W

Last Eruption: 1830

Country: USA

Volcano Type: Shield Volcano

Mount Dana

Elevation: 1,354m / 4,442ft

Location: 55°38’N 161°12’W

Last Eruption: 1890 BC

Country: USA


Volcano Type: Composite Volcano

Mount Cleveland

Elevation: 1,730m / 5,676ft

Location: 52°49’N 169°56’W

Last Eruption: 2011

Country: USA


Volcano Type: Composite Volcano

Mount Carlisle

Elevation: 1,620m / 5,315ft

Location: 52°53’N 170°30’W

Last Eruption: 1987

Country: USA


Volcano Type: Composite Volcano

Mount Augustine

Elevation: 1260m / 4134ft

Location: 59°21’N 153°26’W

Last Eruption: 2005

Country: USA


Volcano Type: Cinder Cone

Fonualei

Elevation: 180m / 591ft

Location: 18°01’S 174°19’W

Last Eruption: 1957

Country: Tonga

Volcano Type: Shield Volcano

Jebel Marra

Elevation: 3,042m / 9,978ft

Location: 12°57’N 24°16’E

Last Eruption: 2000 BC

Country: Sudan


Volcano Type: Caldera

Tenerife

Elevation: 3,718m / 12,188ft

Location: 28°16’N 16°38’W

Last Eruption: 1909

Country: Spain


Volcano Type: Shield Volcano

Lanzarote

Elevation: 670m / 2,060ft

Location: 29°02’N 13°38’W

Last Eruption: 1824

Country: Spain

Volcano Type: Shield Volcano

La Palma

Elevation: 2,426m / 6,394ft

Location: 28°35’N 17°50’W

Last Eruption: 1971

Country: Spain


Volcano Type: Cinder Cone

Simbo

Elevation: 335m / 1,099ft

Location: 8°17’S 156°31’E

Last Eruption: 1910

Country: Solomon Islands


Volcano Type: Cinder Cone

Ushishur

Elevation: 401m / 1,316ft

Location: 47°31’N 152°48’E

Last Eruption: 1884

Country: Russia


Volcano Type: Caldera

Sinarka

Elevation: 934m / 3,064ft

Location: 48°52’N 154°10’E

Last Eruption: 1878

Country: Russia


Volcano Type: Complex Volcano

Raikoke

Elevation: 551m / 1,808ft

Location: 48°17’N 153°15’E

Last Eruption: 1924

Country: Russia


Volcano Type: Shield Volcano

Medvezhya

Elevation: 1,125m / 3,691ft

Location: 45°23’N 148°50’E

Last Eruption: 1999

Country: Russia

Volcano Type: Shield Volcano

Golovnin

Elevation: 543m / 1,781ft

Location: 43°51’N 145°32’E

Last Eruption: 1848

Country: Russia


Volcano Type: Caldera

Baranksy

Elevation: 1,132m / 3,714ft

Location: 45°06’N 148°01’E

Last Eruption: 1951

Country: Russia


Volcano Type: Shield Volcano

Alaid

Elevation: 2,339m / 7,674ft

Location: 50°51’N 155°33’E

Last Eruption: 1996

Country: Russia


Volcano Type: Cinder Cone

Tolbachik

Elevation: 3,682m / 12,080ft

Location: 55°49’N 160°19’E

Last Eruption: 1976

Country: Russia


Volcano Type: Shield Volcano

Shiveluch

Elevation: 2,444m / 8,028ft

Location: 55°23’N 161°11’E

Last Eruption: 2010

Country: Russia


Volcano Type: Cinder Cone

Maly Semyachik

Elevation: 1,560m / 5,118ft

Location: 54°08’N 159°40’E

Last Eruption: 1952

Country: Russia


Volcano Type: Caldera

Ksudach

Elevation: 1,079m / 3,539ft

Location: 51°48’N 157°32’E

Last Eruption: 1907

Country: Russia


Volcano Type: Composite Volcano

Kizimen

Elevation: 2,376m / 7,795ft

Location: 55°07’N 160°19’E

Last Eruption: 2011

Country: Russia


Volcano Type: Composite Volcano

Karymsky

Elevation: 1,486m / 4,874ft

Location: 54°06’N 159°24’E

Last Eruption: 2010

Country: Russia


Volcano Type: Cinder Cone

Ilyinsky

Elevation: 1,578m / 5,176ft

Location: 51°29’N 157°12’E

Last Eruption: 1901

Country: Russia


Volcano Type: Cinder Cone

Akademia Nauk

Elevation: 1,180m / 3,871ft

Location: 53°59’N 159°27’E

Last Eruption: 1996

Country: Russia


Volcano Type: Cinder Cone

Jebel Zubair

Elevation: 191m / 627ft

Location: 15°03’N 42°11’E

Last Eruption: 2011

Country: Yemen


Volcano Type: Shield Volcano

Jebel Tair

Elevation: 244m / 801ft

Location: 15°42.00’N 41°44.31’E

Last Eruption: 1332

Country: Yemen


Volcano Type: Shield Volcano