...Volcanoes and The Mauna Kea Volcanic Eruption By; Jonas Johnson 3rd Hour Imagine yourself sitting at home, and then a massive molten boulder suddenly smashes through your house, crushing everything, including you. This is what some victims of natural disasters have to go through. A natural disaster is any natural occurrences that usually cause great amounts of damage. The most common of which are volcanoes, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, and tsunamis. The Mauna Kea Volcano is an ancient dormant volcano that last erupted 4500 years ago. It was one of the volcanoes that aided the creation of Hawaii. Mauna Kea is a dormant shield volcano in the "post-shield" stage. Underwater volcanoes started to build Mauna kea from the bottom of the sea around 0.8 million years ago. In the article, “Mauna Kea” it says,”submarine eruptions began to build Mauna kea from the sea floor around ~0.8 million years ago” (Rubin). This means when undersea volcanoes started to erupt, they created Mauna Kea. Mauna Kea has been dormant since 2460 B.C.E. and its dome is 30 miles wide and is riddled with cinder cones....
Words: 434 - Pages: 2
...John Mysliwiec Conversations with the Earth November 29th, 2012 Volcanoes A volcano is a landform that generally is circular in cross-section that is constructed from lava and tephra erupted onto the Earth’s surface, usually the crust. The opening through which the lava and tephra are emitted is called the volcanic vent. Lava is magma that reaches the Earth’s surface. Magma is melted rock at high pressure and temperature. Magma rises because it is initially less dense than the rock surrounding rock. It eventually equals the density of the surrounding rock and becomes a magma chamber. Tephra is pumice or ash that is blown into the air during eruptions. Volcanoes are generally found where tectonic plates converge and diverge; but are usually not created where tectonic plates slide past one another. As a result volcanoes can be found in all sorts of climate locations. There are four primary types of volcanoes which all have varying effects on the environment. This paper will explore these various types of volcanoes and show how they differ, as well as giving examples of eruptions for each of the types discussed. Principle Types of Volcanoes Cinder cones: Cinder cones are built from particles and blobs of congealed lava ejected from a single vent; they are the simplest forms of volcanoes. Gas charged lava is violently blown into the air and breaks up into small fragments that solidify and fall as cinders around the vent to form a circular or oval...
Words: 2922 - Pages: 12
...the study of what causes the Earth’s movements. The theory of plate tectonics breaks down the exact functions of the lithosphere and the asthenosphere as it relates to how the Earth rotates. The outer layer of the mantle which is a rocky crust it what makes up the lithosphere plates. These lithospheric plates sit on a layer of Earth called the asthenosphere. The asthenosphere is a very hot weak layer that has a continuous movement. In plate tectonics there is a condition known as isostasy that works between the lithosphere, and the asthenosphere. What happens during this process is the lithosphere is basically floating on top of the asthenosphere, because the temperature is close to melting. One of the main influences of the Hawaii volcanoes is the fact that it sits on the Pacific plate the largest tectonic plate on the planet. As the sea floor spreads it causes the plate to continue to widen as well. That has the biggest impact of the growth of the Hawaiian Islands. Another key factor that not influences location, but the intensity is the changes in sea level. When the sea level began to change that made a decrease in the shorelines, so there was more land being submerged under water. The eruption of volcanoes in Hawaii is what influences an Earthquake. According to scientist Earthquakes are common after a volcano has erupted. The Hawaii was formed by a convergent margin of oceanic lithosphere plates. These plates join and on occasion can create a volcano. They can also be...
Words: 958 - Pages: 4
...hawaii.edu/GG/HCV/maunaloa.html Mauna Loa, or "Long Mountain" in Hawaiian, is located on the island of Hawaii. It is pictured above rising 13,680 ft. (4,170 m) above sea level. Since 1832, Mauna Loa has erupted 39 times; its last eruption was in 1984. According to USGS estimates, the volcano has erupted an average of once every 6 years over the past 3000. The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory celebrated the 30th anniversary of Mauna Loa's last eruption (in 1984) on March 25, 2014, underscoring that it has been a relatively quite 3 decades at the world's largest active volcano. Mauna Loa is one of Earth's most active volcanoes. Since 1843 it has erupted 33 times producing lavas that have covered over 800 km2 In late Aug 2015, HVO raised the tilt level at Mauna Loa because of long-term increased seismicity rates and inflation of the summit (as measured by cross-caldera difference). This doesn't mean an eruption is imminent, but signs are consistent with magma entering the shallow part of the magmatic system at the volcano. Mauna Loa is a "shield volcano", which means it is a gently sloping mountain produced from a large number of generally very fluid lava flows. The volcano has been erupting for at least 100,000 years prom a primary volcanic centre that is presently manifested by Moku'aweoweo crater at the mountain's summit. It has produced both a'a and pahoehoe flows, and lesser amounts of pyroclastic deposits. The volcano is constructed of a rock type known as tholeiitic basalt http://www...
Words: 1141 - Pages: 5
...If an earthquake of 5.0 hit some place like Haiti, where the buildings are made of wood without much support, then a medium size earth quake could cause major problems. You would have thousands of families without someplace to live. Now, if that same size earthquake hit a place like California, where the buildings are made of steel and other types of stronger materials, there might be some damage, but the buildings might actually not sustain much damage. Another region this is less populated may not have much damage as all. Let’s say the quake hits a place like Iceland where the farms are hundreds of miles away from each other. You might see very little damage. Also consider the soil when an earthquake hits. If the buildings are built on unconsolidated sediment, then when the water in the sediment rises, it could cause building foundations to shift. Now, if the building was built on bedrock, it might shake, but at least it would not fall over. One more thing to consider is the closeness of the ocean to where the earthquake happened. Places that are near the ocean might have to deal with a tsunami. Homes built along a beach might be totally...
Words: 1830 - Pages: 8
...7A volcano is a geological landform usually generated by the eruption through a vent in a planet's surface of magma, molten rock welling up from the planet's interior. Volcanoes of various types are found on other planets and their moons as well as on earth. Roughly defined, a volcano consists of a magma chamber, pipes and vents. The magma chamber is where magma from deep within the planet pools, while pipes are channels that lead to surface vents, openings in the volcano's surface through which lava is ejected during an eruption. Volcanoes are generally found where tectonic plates are diverging or converging. A mid-oceanic ridge, for example the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, has examples of volcanoes caused by divergent tectonic plates pulling apart; the Pacific Ring of Fire has examples of volcanoes caused by convergent tectonic plates coming together. By contrast, volcanoes are usually not created where two tectonic plates slide past one another. Volcanoes can also form where there is stretching and thinning of the Earth's crust (called "non-hotspot intraplate volcanism"), such as in the African Rift Valley, the Wells Gray-Clearwater volcanic field and the Rio Grande Rift in North America and the European Rhine Graben with its Eifel volcanoes. Volcanoes can be caused by mantle plumes. These so-called hotspots, for example at Hawaii, can occur far from plate boundaries. Hotspot volcanoes are also found elsewhere in the solar system, especially on rocky planets and moons. Cross-section...
Words: 1577 - Pages: 7
...Analyse the factors that causes differences in the hazards posed by volcanoes around the world (40 marks) A hazard can be define as something which poses a level of threat the life, health, property or environment, a volcano can compromise all these things through the many hazards volcanoes presents. Such as lahars, flash flooding, landslides, pyroclastic flows, ash clouds and many others. There are factors which can influence the severity of the hazard and cause differences in them and can be classified into different categories, such as physical, economic, political and social. One physical factor which causes differences in a volcanic hazard is the steepness of the volcano. If the volcanoes sides are of a steep gradient then the lava from the volcano would flow must faster than if the sides were a steady gradient. Mount Nyiragongo for example had extremely steep sides, 50 degrees at some points. This, combined with the low viscosity of the basaltic lava, saw lava speeds of up to 60 miles per hour. The hazard of a lava flow in Nyiragongo was much greater than if the volcano had steady sloping sides. The type of lava also influences the hazard, if the lava is ryolytic then it has a high viscosity due to its high silica content and its low temperature (only between 650-750 Celsius). Therefore it won’t flow very fast, minimising the impact of the hazard, whereas if it is basaltic like Mount Nyiragongo then it will flow extremely fast, intensifying the hazard. The type...
Words: 1098 - Pages: 5
...Yet, “Hotspots”—regions with particularly high rates of volcanism—are not necessarily associated with plate boundaries. Hawaii, the premier example, is thousands of kilometers from the nearest plate boundary yet exudes lava at a higher rate per unit area than at any other place on Earth. G. Foulger and J. Natland 2003, discuss the evidence, or lack there of, of the deep plume model through seismic analysis, especially at Yellowstone. The fact that hotspots are not fixed, “Hawaii has not remained stationary; it changed direction radically at the time of the bend in the Hawaiian-Emperor chain ~50 million years ago, when the Pacific plate did not change direction” (p.921). And that analysis of the petrology does not indicate temperatures required from mantle from a deep plume. Richard Monastersky states, “For plate reconstructionists, hotspots seemed an ideal benchmark for tracing plate motion in the past; they literally left a trail on a plate as it passed overhead…However, new evidence suggests that these benchmarks may actually be drifting” (p.250). This adds to the uncertainty about the origins of...
Words: 2390 - Pages: 10
...Tectonic Activity and Hazards What are tectonic hazards and what causes them? 1. Introduction Tectonic hazards have to be distinguished from tectonic events. Hazards tend to refer to those events or items that pose a threat to humans and their lifestyle. Therefore, a tectonic hazard is one which involves tectonic processes being hazardous to humans. In the first part of my essay I will be explaining exactly what is meant by tectonic processes and will be referring to the relatively new concept of Plate Tectonics which, although being presented as a theory in 1912 by Alfred Wegener, was not actually taken as the standard model until the late 1960’s and even then was being criticized by many learned scholars into the 1980’s. I will then explain what the main types of hazards are in tectonics, namely volcanoes (openings in the earth crust from which material from below the earth’s surface can be ejected) and earthquakes (movement in the earth’s crust that causes shaking of the ground above). However, there are many more hazards that can be associated with these two, namely tsunamis and from volcanoes, pyroclastic flows, lahars and volcanic gases. What causes these hazards should be explained in my explanation of plate tectonics. Throughout my assignment, I will be using many examples of tectonic hazards from around the globe, but will be focusing on certain case studies to try and explain exactly what causes tectonic hazards. I will be using the San Andreas Fault in the western...
Words: 2225 - Pages: 9
...Natural Disasters - Volcano BChen 4/5SP Part 1 |How does a Volcano occur? | | | |[pic] | | | |Where in the world does Volcanoes occur? | | | | | | | | | ...
Words: 703 - Pages: 3
...Cinder Cone volcanoes are created by just one vent in the Earths outer crust. These volcanoes are the most common, only reach about 300 meters above the ground and appear in Western North America. According to Universe Today, one of the most famous, or infamous, volcanoes erupted out of a Mexican corn field in 1943. This volcano reportedly erupted for 9 whole years, covering adjacent towns with volcanic ash. Composite volcanoes are made by an accumulation of eruptions. The layers of these volcanoes are formed by hardened lava, tephra, pumice, and volcanic ash. Composite volcanoes are most commonly found in the Ring of Fire, a major area in the basin of the Pacific Ocean featuring 425 volcanoes. Mount Fuji, the tallest volcano in Japan, is...
Words: 594 - Pages: 3
...questions will have two or more answers that may seem possible, but only one is the best answer. Please read the questions completely, and check your answers. 1. Which seismic waves actually penetrate the inner core? A. Primary waves B. Secondary waves C. Raleigh waves D. Both A and B E. Love waves 2. Based on historical data, only location to have experienced a M5 (moment scale) or greater within 300 km: A. Montreal, QC B. Vancouver, BC C. Sydney, NS D. None of the above have experienced such a large earthquake E. All of the above have experienced an M5 or greater 3. This is not monitored in order to predict volcanic eruptions: A. temperature of steam B. animal reactions C. changes in the shape of the volcano D. earthquake patterns E. CO2 and radon gas 4. Few, if any, masonry structures remain standing; bridges are destroyed; large fissures open in ground; landslides are common. A. III B. VIII C. XI D. XIII E. none of the above 5. Generally, this would be the more explosive event: A. ocean island shield eruption B. volcanic arc eruption C. caldera event D. none of the above (they all generally all the same) 6. Generally, this...
Words: 2309 - Pages: 10
...Mega-Tsunamis: The Oceans Deadliest Weapon Every single minute of every passing hour, our oceans have the potential to cause catastrophic damage and disaster. With its vast beauty and bountiful resources, the wild ocean comes with a handful of rare geological time-bombs. Once unleashed, they can create an extravagant phenomenon. Gigantic mega-tsunami form, these giant waves are able to cross oceans and demolish cities and countries on the opposite side of the earth. Thanks to modern technology and globalization, we have been able to capture some of the more recent tsunamis and their destruction. For example, the footage of the destruction of the tsunami that caught Japan by surprise in 2011 shook the whole world and brought awareness and respect to the ocean and its potential fury. This was just a typical tsunami, it reached Japan at about 33 feet, and caused extreme destruction along the coast. This example was just a small ripple compared to what our ocean could generate. Our ocean has the potential to generate mega-tsunamis over a mile high, hence the name “Mega-Tsunamis”. If a mega-tsunami of this magnitude were to take place, tens of millions of lives would be eliminated, countries could be reshaped, and civilizations would be whipped out for ever. Typical tsunamis are waves or series of waves that can span hundreds of miles across the ocean and reach about 30 meters (100 feet). These typical waves are usually generated from movement on the bottom of the seafloor caused...
Words: 1248 - Pages: 5
...regular but relatively mild. Composite volcanoes • Made up of alternating layers of ash & lava (other volcanoes consist of just lava). • They’re typically located at destructive boundaries. • The eruptions from these volcanoes tend to be a pyroclastic flow (a mixture of hot steam, ash, rock & dust.) rather than a lava flow. • A pyroclastic flow can roll down the sides of a volcano at extremely high speeds & with temperatures higher than 400°C. Volcanic eruptions can have overwhelming effects on the environment & people Although, unlike earthquakes, volcanoes can also have a positive impact on an area. Positive + & negative - effects of an eruption Positive + Negative - Extra income could be brought to an area, because tourists are attracted to the dramatic scenery created by volcanic eruptions. Volcanic eruptions usually lead to many lives being lost. Valuable nutrients may be provided to the soil when lava and ash (from the eruption) are deposited and breakdown. This is good for agriculture as the soil becomes very fertile. Lahars which are fast moving mudflows that are created when ash and mud from a volcano eruption mix with rain water or melting...
Words: 1769 - Pages: 8
...Evaluate how plate tectonic theory helps our understanding of the distribution of seismic and volcanic events (40 marks) Outline the theories Supporting evidence Notes: * Alfred Wegner – suggested that continents were once all joined together in an ancient super continent called Pangaea. Land masses had drifted apart until they got to a certain position. Used 4 different pieces of evidence to help support his theory: 1. Continental Fit – If you placed certain continents together they look like they should/could have been joined together at some point. For example western seaboard of Africa and Eastern sea board of South America. 2. Geological Evidence – Rocks of similar type and age sharing the same formation can be found in South East Brazil and South Africa, which were believed to be joined. Also similar glacial deposits found in the Antarctica, South America and India. 3. Climatological Evidence – Similar coal deposits have been found in places such as Antarctica, North America and UK, all of similar age and all formed in tropical conditions. Neither of these places is still tropical therefore the coal must have drifted apart. 4. Biological Evidence – Fossil formations can be found on either side of the Atlantic. An example of this is the Mesosaurus, this reptile could not fly, however its fossils were found only in South America and South Africa. Therefore they must have been joined; otherwise the fossils would not be in the same place. * Paleomagnestism...
Words: 1646 - Pages: 7
