Volcano protection program
Cassie's Research Paper
There is a great number of dangerous active volcanoes in the world that pose a threat to the cities surrounding them. In this essay, we will first talk about how volcanoes affect people. Then, we’ll take a look at the different kinds of volcanic landforms around. After that, we’ll talk about some solutions to warn people about these eruptions that are already in use. Finally, we’ll discuss how we plan to solve the problem of cities not being prepared for eruptions.
Volcanic eruptions affect people in many different ways, good and bad. On the positive note, volcanoes have very rich soil, which is why people may risk their lives living on these dangerous volcanoes. People grow crops on these volcanoes because of its rich soil. What makes the soil so rich, you might ask? Lava flows and ash deposits give the soil some of the nutrients it needs to be healthy. One bad thing about this though, is that the volcano has to erupt to nourish this soil to the point where it is this rich
Now to the bad things. Volcanic eruptions distribute massive amounts of ash, which covers the city and can suffocate anyone who sticks around. Just like Pompeii. The plaster molds of people and animals are made from people/animals who suffocated because of all the ash raining down on them. Also, the lava that flows down from the crater of the volcano eats everything in its path, including trees, houses, and beautiful landscapes of any kind. The lava can flatten a city, leaving nothing but remains of houses. Tons of people lose their houses and crops to volcanic eruptions.
However, there are many different types of volcanic landforms. For example, Stratovolcanoes are volcanoes that are made of intermixed layers of lava flows and poorly combined volcanic material like ash and cinders. Stratovolcanoes are typically found on continental crusts. You can recognize them by their beautiful cones. Mt. Fuji in Japan is a Stratovolcano.
Another type of volcanic landform is a Shield Volcano. Shield Volcanoes got their name because when you see it from afar, it looks like a shield laying on the ground. Shield Volcanoes have low slope flanks. Shield Volcanoes are the largest volcanic features on earth. The largest shield volcano is Mauna Loa on the Hawaiian Islands. It has a volume 300 times greater than the Stratovolcano Mt. Fuji! Shield Volcanoes are created by basaltic magmas flowing down the landscape.
In fact, there are some solutions to the dangers of volcanoes to cities in place. One example is an early warning system in Greenland. When the volcano there is going to erupt, an annoying siren goes off as a warning to get out of the town before the volcano erupts. Since it is impossible to predict the date of an eruption, warning systems are based on the probability of an eruption or hazard.
Next, I’ll tell you one of the solutions that my partner and I came up with that could be put to use. One solution is an early warning system that warns people in danger a day or two before the possible eruption. Here’s how it works: Each house in that city will have an eruption alarm, and everyone will have an app on their phones called eruption status. There are little tiny sensors placed on the volcano. If these sensors pick up any unusual activity, they send that information to two data collecting computers at two different stations. One of the stations is the cell phone satellite station and the other is the home warning station. Once both stations receive the information from the sensors, they process it to come to a conclusion. If they conclude that there is not any probable threat of eruption, no warning goes out. If the computers do conclude that there is a probable threat, the home warning station turns on all the home alarms and the cell phone satellite station sends an alert to all the apps. Once the app receives the warning, it displays it on the screen of your phone and either vibrates harshly or rings SUPER loud.
Finally, I’ll tell you the other solution we came up with. A walkway that leads out of the town. This walkway will have enough supplies and shops in it to last a month if needed. Once the eruption has stopped, the alarms in the walkway will turn off and then everyone can go back to their houses(or what’s left of them) and carry on with their lives.
Volcanoes affect people in many different ways, good and bad. There are many different types of volcanic landforms around. There are some good solutions already in place, but we need some new ones. Finally, other solutions that could be in place are a walkway to get out of the city safely and a very early warning system for houses and phones.
Works Cited
N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2014.
Seach, John. "Volcano Live." Volcano Warning Systems. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2014.
"Volcanic Processes." Volcanic Processes. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2014.