VOLCANOES

Volcanic Hazards

Volcanic eruptions can have a drastic impact on our lives. They can affect the property we own, the land we live on, the water we drink
the air we breathe. In serious cases, people may have to leave their homes and move to safe areas. In the 20th century, this happened
Vincent in 1971 and 1979, in Guadeloupe in 1976 and in Montserrat in 1995. Below are some of the hazardous volcanic effects in the E
Caribbean.

Pyroclastic Flows
These hot, fast moving mixtures of ash, rock fragments
and gas flow from a collapsed eruption column or lava
dome, travel down valleys and cause total devastation of
the area over which they flow. Pyroclastic flows have
been the main cause of destruction and loss of life in
Montserrat since the onset of the Soufriere Hills Volcano
eruption in 1995. They differ from pyroclastic surges in
that they are more dense and usually travel with a greater
physical force whereas surges usually contain more gases.
Pyroclastic flow entering the ocean, Montserrat 1996

Pyroclastic Surges
This turbulent cloud of gases and rock debris moves
above the ground surface at great speeds. Pyroclastic
surges form in a similar way to pyroclastic flows but their
effects are more widespread since they may also sweep
across ridges and hills as well as down valleys. A hot
pyroclastic surge can cause death from suffocation,
inhalation of poisonous gases and severe burns.
Pyroclastic surges from Mt. Pele completely destroyed the
town of St. Pierre in Martinique in 1902, killing about
30,000 people.
Destruction in the aftermath of a pyroclastic surge, St.
Pierre, Martinique 1902

Ballistic Projectiles
Ballistic projectiles are rocks that an erupting volcano
may hurl into the air. These blocks and bombs travel like
cannonballs and usually land within 2km of the vent (but
can travel as far as 5km, or even further, if the eruption is
very explosive.)

Scientist standing in a crater formed by a ballistic

projectile (block visible to the right), Montserrat 1996
 Lava Flows
These consist of molten rock that streams down the slope
of a volcano, destoying everything in its path and possibly
causing forest fires (as is typical of Hawaiian volcanoes).
Lava in the Eastern Caribbean, however, is very viscous
and does not flow very far from the vent. Rather, as the
volcano emits lava it accumulates around the vent thereby
creating a lava dome. These lava domes are often unstable
and eventually they collapse and lead to pyroclastic flows.

Lava dome eruption, Montserrat 1996

Ash Falls
Large quantities of ash produced during a volcanic
eruption can be thick enough to collapse roofs, destroy
vegetation and cause aircraft , ship and car engines to
malfunction. They can also be very dangerous to people's
health since even the finest fractions of ash may cause
serious respiratory problems if they are inhaled. This
hazard may persist long after the eruption itself has ended
and can affect neighbouring islands as well.

Effects of ash fall, Plymouth Montserrat

Lahars (mudflows)
These are mixtures of volcanic water and rock fragments
which rush down the slopes of a volcano and into the
surrounding valleys. The word 'lahar' is an Indonesian
term that describes a mudflow often triggered by heavy
rains or earthquakes during and after a volcanic eruption.
Lahars are destructive to everything in their path and may
occur years after an eruption has ended.

Houses buried under pryroclastic flow and lahar

deposits, Plymouth, Montserrat
 Volcanic Gases
Gases such as sulphur dioxide (SO2), and hydrogen
sulphide (H2S) are present in toxic amounts close to the
vent of an erupting volcano and may be present close to
hot springs around any live volcano. Further away from
the vent they can become dissolved in atmospheric clouds
to produce acid rain and mist which affect human and
animal eyes and respiratory systems and corrode metal
building materials. One of the most common volcanic
gases, carbon dioxide (CO2), is not poisonous but
nevertheless, it is extremely dangerous. It is heavier than
Volcanic gases (mainly steam) being released at the
Boiling Lake, Dominica
air and tends to accumulate in hollows in the ground,
displacing the breathable air. Since it is invisible and has
no taste or smell, people and animals are unable to notice
that it is there and may suffocate. People have died in this
way at the Boiling Lake in the Valley of Desolation in
Dominica.
Lateral Blasts
Lateral blasts are horizontally-directed clouds of gases
and extremely hot rock particles that explode outwards at
very high speeds from the volcano. They can develop
without warning during any explosive eruption and can
destroy everything for miles within a fan-shaped area on
the blast side of the volcano. Since they carry rock debris
at high speeds, lateral blasts can devastate areas of tens to
hundreds of square kilometers within a few minutes, and
can destroy manmade structures and kill all living things
by abrasion, impact, burial, and heat.
A lateral blast in progress, Mt. St. Helens, USA

Debris Avalanches
Debris avalanches are moving masses of rock and soil that
occur when the flank of a mountain or volcano collapses
and slides downslope. As the moving debris rushes down
a volcano and into river valleys, it incorporates water,
trees, bridges, buildings, and anything else in the way.
Debris avalanches may travel several kilometers before
coming to rest, or they may transform into more water-
rich lahars, which travel many tens of kilometers
downstream. (courtesy http://volcanoes.usgs.gov)
Debris avalanche and tephra deposits on the south flank
of Soufriere Hills Volcano, Montserrat, 1998
 Lightning Strikes
Lightning strikes may occur during volcanic eruptions as a
result of friction between ash, rock fragments, steam and
gases in the eruption cloud. Lightning strikes were a
significant cause of death during the eruption of the
Soufriere of St. Vincent in 1902 and caused considerable
property damage in St. Vincent during the 1979 eruption.

Damage after the 1902 eruption, St. Vincent

Tsunamis
These are sea waves which can be generated by several
events including large earthquakes or submarine volcanic
eruption and impact of objects (including pyroclastic
flows, debris flows and landslides) on the sea surface.
These waves travel extremely fast (reaching
approximately 800km/hr in the deep oceans) and can
inundate low-lying coastal areas.

Tsunami damage, Alaska 1964