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Pradeep Kumar 1

Volcano Eruption
A volcano is an opening, in the planets surface which allows hot, molten rock, ash
and gases to escape from below the surface. The name, volcano originates from the
name Vulcan, a god of fire in Roman mythology.
Volcanoes are like giant safety valves that release the pressure that builds up
inside the Earth. The Hawaii islands were formed by 5 volcanoes. Classified by the
extent of their activity volcanoes are of four types. An active volcano is one that
erupts regularly. There are about 500 known active volcanoes on Earth, not counting
those that lie beneath the sea.
A dormant volcano is one that has not erupted for many years, although there is still
some activity deep inside it. An extinct volcano is one which has ceased to be
active.A volcanic eruption occurs when hot rocks and lava burst from a volcano; and
geysers and springs are actually just volcanoes that throw boiling water high in the
air.
They are caused by volcanic heat warming trapped ground water.The liquid
rocks inside a volcano are called magma and when it flows out it is called as lava.
Fresh lava has temperatures from 700 degrees C to 1200C and glows red-hot to
white hot as it flows.
The most dangerous volcanic eruption recorded is the eruption of Mount St. Helens
in Washington. The tallest volcano in the world is the Ojos del Salado, a volcano in
Chile. The worlds largest volcano is the Muano Loa in Hawaii.
Volcanoes are generally concentrated on the edge of continents, along the
island chain, or beneath the sea forming long mountain ranges. A major part of the
worlds active volcanoes above sea level encircle the Pacific Ocean forming the Ring
of Fire.
Volcanoes can have serious affects on the lands and people around them when they
erupt. The destruction they leave in their wake accounts for the total annihilation of

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the surrounding landscape. Around 2, 00,000 people have lost their lives to volcanic
eruptions in the past five hundred years.
Buildings are destroyed, people are rendered homeless, people are killed, plant and
animal life are both destroyed and the poisonous gases that emanate from the
volcanoes can cause death and diseases like pneumonia in the people who survive it.
However not everything associated with the volcanoes is negative. The crust of
the earth exists due to the large volumes of magma that did not erupt but instead
cooled below the surface.
It results in rich soil which is good for cultivation. The volcanic ash that blows
out of the volcano increases soil fertility by adding nutrients to the soil. Ground water
heated by magma can be tapped for geothermal energy.
Most of the metallic minerals like copper, gold, silver, lead and zinc are mined from
the magmas found deep within the roots of extinct volcanoes. With the increasing
studies done by scientists on volcanoes it is becoming possible to gauge the activity
level of a volcano.
With this information although it might not be possible to prevent the
erupting of a volcano at least the massive destruction of lives can be avoided by
getting people evacuated in time.