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Volcanoes
Factfile |
 Volcanoes |
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Effects of Volcanoes |
Recent studies have shown that approximately 10% of the World's population live near an active volcano - which is approximately, 500 million people. Here is a list of the positive and negative reasons for having an active volcano as your neighbour
Benefits from volcanoesAgriculture
- When a volcano first erupts, the newly deposited lava does nothing for the surrounding area - it makes it lifeless. However, lava deposits that are old and weathered, breakdown in the soil to produce nutrient rich soil which produce very good crops. Land is also cheap in volcanic regions, so it easy for people to settle here and farm.
Minerals and fossil
fuels
- Areas of igneous rock may contain precious stones and/or valuable metals. Metals such as lead, silver, copper, tin and gold are found in lava and commercially mined in places like South America and Australia. Chemicals like Sulphur, are also mined in places like Chile and Italy, while gemstones like opals, can be found in volcanic rock in Western Australia.
Hot Springs
- Hot Springs in places like Japan and Iceland, are used for their health-giving benefits and people bathe in them - even in winter!
Geothermal energy
- In volcanic regions, boiling water collects under ground. This can be pumped to the surface and used to supply heat to houses or greenhouses. It can be used to make cheap electricity. Geothermal energy is a great resource for countries like New Zealand, Japan and Iceland, as not only is it clean and cheap - it won't run dry.
Building materials
- Volcanoes provide strong building materials, such as volcanic ash for concrete and cinder for roads.
Dangers from volcanoes
A huge volcanic eruption might cause a tsunami and/or an earthquake.
Volcanic eruptions can occur without warning. In 1902, Mont Pelée, on the island of Martinique in the West Indies erupted. First a loud explosion shook the island. Seconds later, an enormous cloud of poisonous gas and ash traveled towards the city of St. Pierre at 160 kph killing thousands of people.
A volcanic eruption might cause snow or ice on a volcano to melt and cause floods.
High-level ash can cause aircraft engines to cut out.
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