volcanos

Introduction

In this report, we are discussing a well-known hazard, the volcano. A volcano is a natural hazard occurring naturally in certain parts of the world. The most active volcanoes are in Indonesia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Japan, the United States, Chile, Canada, Guatemala, Russia, Peru, the Solomon Islands, Mexico and Antarctica. These countries are assembled in a way that creates the “Ring of Fire”. The Ring of Fire is a horseshoe-shaped ring where the volcanoes align on the edge of the tectonic plates, one of the most dangerous places to live nearby because of the gases, diseases, fires, loss of wildlife, trees and plants. It can also destroy homes and crops. In this report, we will explore ways to limit the effects of these volcanoes. The main points we will cover are the causes, consequences, various solutions and our favourite solution.

The stages of a volcano

The first stage of a volcano starts off in the subduction zone, the subduction zone is where two tectonic plates collide together and one of the plates descends down. The descending plate tends to bend at an angle of 30 degrees however sometimes the plate bends too much and breaks off. The broken slabs don't really disappear but get weakened and flexible. Subduction zones are found in the “Ring of Fire”; they are off the shore of Canada, New Zealand, Alaska, Russia, Japan, Indonesia, South America and Washington state. The Ring of Fire holds 80% of all active volcanoes and is responsible for more than 80% of the biggest earthquakes in the world. When the descending plate moves closer to the earth's superheated core, the sudden rise in heat and pressure causes the seawater from the slab to release from the surface. The water's rocky fluid rises higher, lowering the melting point of the rocks forming magma. Since the magma is less dense and more buoyant than the rock around it, it rises to the surface creating an arc of volcanoes.

The consequences of a volcanic eruption

The main problem for an eruption that can cause death and destruction comes from ash flow, more importantly, pyroclastic flow. A pyroclastic flow is a dense and destructive mass composed of jagged rocks, minerals, volcanic glass and gases. Pyroclastic flows move very fast down the slope of a volcano and can reach speeds of up to 200 km/h, this type of eruption is commonly caused by a cinder cone volcano and an example is the Montserrat's Soufrière Hills volcano.

If you're trapped in pyroclastic you most certainly will die as your lungs will be filled with hot ash and your body will be engulfed in bits of glass, hot ash and chunks of rock flying at incredible speeds. Houses and cities are also not safe from pyroclastic flow as it can collapse houses. However, atmospheric conditions can influence a volcano's effect on cities. Heavy winds can carry the ash away and the topography of a volcano can redirect lava flows to a safer area.

After a volcanic eruption, the volcano can still have effects on people like mudslides and floods from the movement of the earth, water contamination from the ash, burnt crops, wildfires from the lava flow and volcanic projectiles as well as power outages. These are just some mild effects after the volcano has erupted.

Case study; White Island

The white island eruption was a tourist attraction until it erupted with more than 40 people on the island. This volcano killed 22 people and damaged others. It even left a mentally scarring effect on the survivors. This eruption ruined careers and others lost the ability to have a family. A quote from one of the few survivors , Lu told the court the eruption had changed her “physically and mentally.” Lauren Urey said “We wanted to have two kids, but now I’m considered high risk, if I do decide to have kids,”. “So this has impacted me and my husband and our families much more beyond just our physical injuries,”. Lu said “I had a whole career change because, you know, as hard as it sounds, the fashion industry is all about appearances,” she said. This is because the volcanic ash had burned her whole body and she had to undergo many surgeries. as for the aftermath of the eruption we asked our expert Brad Scott

He said…

“There is no record of volcanic activity from Whakaari/White Island impacting the mainland/North Island. Very fine volcanic ash has been noted on a few occasions over the last 30-40 years. Looking like pollen does from the pine trees. There is also a phenomena know as VOG (volcanic fog) that has occurred a few times as well '' We then asked How did the volcano affect the climate? Brad replied saying “In a global sense, large volcanic eruptions can impact the global climate. If the eruptions are large enough to reach 30-50 km high the volcanic ash (dust) and gases can reduce the amount of light reaching earth a cool/change the climate can occur. Eruptions in the last few years from active NZ volcanoes like Ruapehu, Te Maari and Whakaari rarely reach more than a km or 2 high. That is they are far to small to be noticed by the climate”

VARIOUS SOLUTIONS

There are several methods available to minimise the effects of a volcanic eruption. These include monitoring seismic activity, ground shifts, volcanic gases, rock, water chemistry, and satellite analysis. These techniques can help minimise the damage caused to people by monitoring the activity of a volcano so we have insight on when we can roughly estimate when it will erupt meaning humans can evacuate effectively. The second solution we thought may lessen the effects of volcanoes lava flow would be concrete walls that would redirect the lava to safer areas. Concrete itself has a higher melting point, measuring around 1,630 degrees Celsius; lava's heat goes from a measly 700 degrees Celsius to 1,300. Therefore concrete walls can be used as a cheaper and more efficient way of redirecting lava flow. Finally, Reinforced glass domes that go over your house will protect you from hot ash and volcanic debris making it easier to clean off the ash and protect your home. This simply means if an eruption happens your house won't be burned down or covered in ash.

PMI

Seismic detectors are very useful when it comes to measuring volcanic activity however they cost a lot and aren't very sustainable. Seismic detectors aka seismographs can easily exceed the 100,000 dollars price mark and depending on how often the volcano erupts replacing these detectors will cost 100,000s of thousands. So when it comes to sustainability it would be hard to maintain these machines as it is too expensive to constantly replace them. Reliability on the other hand has many benefits, we can rely on this machine to tell us the movement and activity of the volcano because it was made to measure the seismic activity in the ground. The same thing volcanoes make when they get active. Seismic detectors are effective, they tell us what's happening under the ground and what's moving around making it easier to predict an eruption. As long as you have a geologist or two in your city they should be easy enough to set up.

Concrete walls are sustainable because they can be made over and over again just by making more concrete. Depending on the size of the eruption we can rely on the concrete to redirect the lava. It definitely costs a lot to make heaps of concrete but it also varies in price depending how big the volcano is. It's pretty easy to set up if you have a team of builders and plenty of machinery.

Reinforced glass domes are tough and reusable, it also depends on the type of eruption. But in theory it should last a few eruptions. Normal glass is expensive but reinforced glass is twice as much. In theory it should be effective as it has a very long life, it is 5 times stronger than normal glass and if it shatters it does not shatter into sharp pieces it breaks into tiny cubes making it harmless to the human body. With trained professionals these domes should be made tough and strong.

Numerical data; Do volcanoes contribute to global warming?

This graph shows a timeline between 1750 all the way to 2000, it shows how much co2 emissions from fossil fuels that volcanoes have produced through the years compared to Humans. On the graph the purple line indicates the volcano's co2 emissions only produce 1 billion metric tons annually. However the green line indicates Humans co2 emissions from fossil fuels. As you can see on the chart humans have produced 35 billion metric tons annually. So in conclusion volcanoes do not contribute to global warming.

FAVOURITE SOLUTION

With careful thought and hard research, we decided that each solution serves one key purpose in protecting villages or cities. Seismic detectors measure the activity of the volcano so you have more insight on when the volcano might erupt. That way you can predict when to put your glass dome over your house. When it erupts you and your house will be safe from ash fall and volcanic debris. If there is lava flow the concrete walls will redirect it to unpopulated areas. This way you can immensely reduce the effects of a volcano. So we decided the best solution was all of them together.

Conclusion

In conclusion, to minimise the effects of a volcanic eruption we will redirect the lava by using concrete walls, to predict when the volcano might erupt we will use

seismic detectors and to keep your houses unharmed we will put glass domes over your house to protect it from ash fall and volcanic debris.

Bibliography

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