Other: Volcanic Hazards Essay Example

Volcanic Hazards

A volcano is a sudden breakdown of magma in the mountain or hill from the depth of Earth’s surface. More than 500 active volcanoes are found in the world (John Watson, 1997).The volcanic hazard is the danger of life or material because of the volcanic eruption. This paper is divided into four sections. The first section discusses the volcanic hazards. The second section deliberates the hazards which are directly linked to volcanic eruptions. The third section highlights the hazards which are indirectly linked to volcano. The fourth section concludes the paper.
The common volcanic hazards are lava, volcanic gases, pyroclastic falls and flows and explosive eruptions. Since there is a common myth that lava is the most dangerous among these and kills the most life, however, the fact is lava can be forecasted and it extends in a specific limit .It can also be avoided by any common man since it doesn’t move faster than the walking person. However, pyroclastic flows are the most deadly among all the volcanic hazards. Pyroclastic flows are the combination of hot gases, ashes and molten rocks. Pyroclastic flows also are very fast and have wide range of around 100 km from the volcano. Hence, pyroclastic flows are considered to be the deadliest and kill the most life because of its speed, elements and range.
Hazards which have immediate effect are considered as directly linked hazards to volcanic eruptions. Most of the volcanic hazards such as lava, pyroclastic falls and flows have an immediate effect. Some of the examples of the directly linked hazards are landslides, floods, lahars, tsunami, destroy of land and property, fires and losses of life.
Indirect volcanic hazards are difficult to predict since it is not immediate but slow and steady, however it is not less hazardous than direct hazard. Many harmful gases releases during volcanic eruptions such as carbon dioxide, methane, sulphur dioxide, fluorine gases and other poisonous gases. These gases are deadly and hazardous. Carbon dioxide is not toxic in itself but it makes the air pollutant and it can suffocate living organisms. It is also dissolved in water and can harm the agriculture and people of the nearby location. Other sulphur based gases has an acid component and can cause acid rains or volcanic fog. Fluorine gases are extremely noxious and can be absorbed by the trees or plants which can harm people or animals even for longer duration.
Thus, volcanic hazards can cause deaths to the million of people and loss of property which is said to be the immediate effect. The long term effects which could also be the side effects are environment pollution and diseases which can cause famine and make the overall poor health condition of not only the current generation but also the future generation.

References

John Watson (1997). Volcano Environments. Retrieved from http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/volc/environments.html