V is for Volcanic Eruption

My theme for my 2015 A to Z Challenge came from my Disaster Crimes series. Disasters are a theme in each story, so it got me thinking about all the disasters that occur from natural disasters to manmade disasters.

Today’s disaster is...

VOLCANIC ERUPTION

This is a fitting one for today since a volcano erupted in Chile on Wednesday and is still erupting. This is the first time it has erupted in over 42 years.

A volcano is a naturally occurring rupture in the Earth’s crust, generally found near plate tectonics, where lava, volcanic ash, and gases escape from a magma chamber below the surface. Some volcanoes are classified as extinct or dormant. Extinct volcanoes are considered unlikely to erupt again. Dormant volcanoes are quiet but may become active in the future.

FACT: 90% of the world’s earthquakes are located in the Ring of Fire.

Sometimes volcanoes erupt (either by exploding or releasing slow flows of lava) and cause many dangers to humans, animals, and plants. They can emit steam, high-silica lava, low-silica lava, pyroclastic flows, debris flows (lahars), and carbon dioxide.

FACT: Lava is molten rock. The levels of silica in lava determine how “sticky” and thick the lava is. When lava is underground it is called magma.

Rocks torn apart by a violent eruption can be shot into the air with lava. These rocks are called pyroclastic rocks. They fall back to earth as ash or bombs. (If you’ve seen the movie Volcano with Tommy Lee Jones, you’ll remember the lava bombs.)

Pyroclastic flows are fast-moving clouds of hot gas and rock/ash/dust. They can reach speeds up to 450 mph and the gas can reach temperatures as high as 1,830 degrees Fahrenheit. Their volume can be anywhere from a few hundred cubic meters to over a thousand kilometers. These flows destroy everything in its path, buries sites, and burns forests and buildings. The rocks inside the flow can be as big as boulders. People and animals caught inside a pyroclastic flow can die from burns or inhaling hot ash and gas.

As of 2013, these are the most active volcanoes on Earth:

1. Kīlauea in Hawaii has been in continuous eruption since 1983.

2. Mount Etna and Stromboli, in the Mediterranean, have been in "almost continuous eruption" since before the Middle Ages.

3. Mount Yasur, in Vanuatu, has been erupting for over 800 years.

QUESTIONS: Have you ever seen a volcano? Even a dormant one? What are your favorite volcano movies? I like Dante’s Peak and Volcano.

Disasters:

A: Avalanche

B: Blizzard and Blackout

C: Cyclone

D: Drought and Dust Storm
E: Earthquake
F: Flood

G: Gas Explosion
H: Hailstorm
I: Ice Storm and Iceberg
J. Judgment Day

K: Killings
L: Limnic Eruption and Lightning Storm
M: Mudslide
N: Nuclear Meltdown
O: Oil Spill

P: Plague
Q: Quasar Explosion
R: Rockfall
S: Solar Flare and Sinkhole
T: Tornado and Tsunami
U: Ultraviolet Radiation
V: Volcanic Eruption

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