A Look at Volcanoes: Cause and Effect, Research Paper Example

Volcanoes are both fascinating and terrifying at the same time. They are great mountains that spew forth burning hot lava and great chunks of rock, sometimes with very little warning. These geological fixtures can destroy everything close to them when they erupt, and yet there are many people in the world who choose to make their homes at the base of these monsters. Why would anyone want to do that? The facts on what a volcano is, on what causes a volcano to erupt, and on the effect volcanoes have on their environment will be discussed in the following paragraphs.

Just what is a volcano? A volcano is a mountain, but not in the traditional sense. While most mountains are built by crumpling rocks and erosion all pushing up in the same space, a volcano is formed from itself. Each eruption of lava builds on itself, making the volcano bigger and higher. According to the US Geological Survey’s website, a volcano is, “most commonly a conical hill or mountain built around a vent that connects with reservoirs of molten rock below the surface of the Earth” (USGS, 2009). Some of the most famous volcanoes in the world are Mount Pelee, Thera, Mount Etna, Mount Fuji, and Mount St. Helens (Cain, 2009).

The volcano Thera is famous for completely evacuating the historical island of Santorini and destroying the Greek community that lived there (Cain, 2009). Santorini remains an archeological site today because of the items and human bodies that were preserved in volcanic ash. Mount Etna, located in Sicily, is in a constant state of eruption (Cain, 2009) and our own Mount St. Helens in Washington State erupted in 1980. What causes volcanic eruptions? According to the USGS, a volcano is a vent for reservoirs of molten rock that lie below the earth’s surface. In an article posted on ScientificAmerican.com, volcanic researcher and geologist Attila Kilinc states that there are three causes that trigger a volcanic eruption; the buoyancy of the magma (molten rock), pressure from gasses in the magma, and more magma filling into an already full reservoir (Kilinc, 1999). What happens during a volcanic eruption? Molten rock, magma, is pushed up toward the surface of the volcano as a result of one of the three triggers mentioned. When it reaches the top the gasses mixed in cause an eruption of molten rock (Kilinc, 1999).

What does it mean for surrounding communities when a volcano erupts? Well, first off, it means run. The Mount St. Helens eruption in 1980 killed 57 people (Cain, 2009). That was a predicted eruption and most surrounding residents were able to be evacuated. Aside from physical danger, people living near a volcano face destruction of their belongings, homes, and businesses. Nevertheless, there are reasons why people choose to live near these dangerous formations. The main reason for living near a volcano is the ash. Short-term, volcano ash is harmful to the environment, but as it settles, the ash mixes with the soil to make very fertile land ideal for farming (Advantages of Volcanoes, 1998). Another obvious reason for staying near volcanoes is tourism. People from all over the world travel to places like Hawaii in order to tour volcanoes and see eruptions first hand (from a distance, of course) (Advantages of Volcanoes, 1998). A third reason with maybe a little less sway, is the heat source a volcano can provide. Heat sources from the earth are called geothermal resources (Advantages of Volcanoes, 1998). Heat from molten rock reservoirs can be harvested to provide a very clean and nearly inexhaustible source of energy (Advantages of Volcanoes, 1998).

Works Cited

“Advantages of Volcanoes.” Oracle ThinkQuest, 1998. Web. 19 Oct. 2009. <http://library.thingquest.org/17457/volcanoes/advantages.php>

Cain, Fraser. “Famous Volcanoes.” Universe Today, 10 June, 2009. Web. 19 Oct. 2009. <http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/08/>

Kilinc, Attila. “What causes a volcano to erupt and how do scientists predict eruptions?” Scientific American, 29 Nov. 1999. Web. <http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=what-causes-a-volcano-to>

USGS. The US Geological Survey, Oct. 2009. Web. 19 Oct. 2009. <http://www.usgs.gov/faq/faq.asp?id=405&category-id=10>