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Volcanoes and Climate Change
Introduction: Since the beginning of time, volcanoes have been wreaking havoc on the world, as we know it. Yet in the more recent times, there has been a great amount of debate regarding the effect of volcanic eruptions on world climate change. In this report, the effects of these volcanoes will be explored, particularly in regards to cooling and the depletion of the ozone.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
General Information on Volcanoes
Effect of Volcanoes on Cooling
Effect of Volcanoes on Ozone Depletion
Specific Volcanic Eruptions and their Effects
Debate over Connection between Volcanoes and Global Climate Change
Works Cited
General Information on Volcanoes:
Volcanoes arise when magma, liquid rock within the earth, reaches the surface. Volcanoes then erupt because of their bouyancy and gas pressure. On account of this buoyancy, the hot liquid magma rises toward the surface through the more dense rock. Gas pressure from within the magma also exerts a force on the surrounding rock. This cracks the rock, located above the magma, and then moves into the crack. This process is repeated over and over again until the magma reaches the surface.
There are a few different types of volcanoes, and each erupts a bit differently. Shield volcanoes usually produce a fountain of molten lava that reaches high into the air, anywhere from 10 to 500 meters. In some eruptions, though, there is little fountaining; in these the lava just flows slowly away from the vent. There are also more explosive volcanic eruptions in which the gas pressure builds until it is extremely high and the viscuous lava can no longer stand i...
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...because these volcanoes are located in different areas of the world or because El Nino occured during the year of the eruption of El Chichon. All of these evidences are still being compiled and scrutinized in order to verify the true relation between volcanic eruptions and climate change.
Works Cited:
Angell, James. "Stratospheric Warming Following Volcanic Eruptions." http://capita.wustl.edu
"The Effects of Volcanic Eruptions on Earth's Climate." http://www.geo.mtu.edu
Garrett, Chris. "Global Cooling." http://tiger.chm.bris.ac.uk
Mattox, Steve. "How are volcanoes born and what makes them erupt?" http://volcano.und.nodak.edu
"NASA Facts." http://www.nasa.gov
Rowland, Scott. "What happens when a volcano erupts?" http://volcano.und.nodak.edu
"The Science of Climate Change: The Aerosol Effect." http://www.panda.org/resources/publications
Basalt forms due to the partial melting of the layer of the mantle called the asthenosphere. The asthenosphere is the plastic zone of the mantle beneath the rigid lithosphere. Mantle plumes coming from the mesosphere can cause the asthenosphere to melt with heat or even if pressure decreases, which is called decompression melting (Richard 2011). The magma that forms from this melting is mafic magma that solidifies once it reaches the earth’s surface and cools quickly. The above process mainly occurs mainly during intraplate igneous activity which is the main explanation for volcanic activity that occurs a long distance away from a plate boundary. If the tectonic plate above the mantle plume is moving it can create a string of volcanic activity such as in Hawaii. See Fig 2.
Volcanoes have always been a mysterious wonder of the world. Volcanoes have shaped the landscape and the very ground that we all live on. People have written stories of their disastrous eruptions, and painted their marvelous shapes on canvas. The essay will outline some of the more famous volcanoes and how they have impacted are history. Mount Vesuvius that destroy the great city of Pompeii, Krakatoa they spewed deadly ash on small village town, and Mount St. Helen, the only volcano in my own country to every erupt during my own time period.
The first time I saw Mt. Rainier for myself, was last summer when my boyfriend and I drove to Washington. It was the most beautiful, peaceful looking mountain I have ever seen. However, underneath it's great beauty, it hides a deadly secret. Mt. Rainier is one of the most dangerous volcanoes that we have here in the United States. One of the reasons it is so dangerous is because of it's great beauty. People enjoy looking at it, and the area that surrounds it, so they have made their homes here. Mt Rainier is not the only volcano I am interested in, in fact this last summer I also went to Mt. St. Helens and Crater Lake. But it is the volcano I chose to research for this paper because it does have so much beauty and at the same time so much power. I already know the basics about volcanoes, how they form, the different types, etc., but I wanted to find out more about what would happen if this great volcano were to erupt, what type of eruption would it be, and how would it affect the people that live around it.
From modern examples and records we know that volcanic activity can set of a chai...
Volcanoes have played a key role in forming the face of the earth as we know it today. Some of the most well known landmarks and locations in the world are volcanoes. From the Hawaiian Islands to Mount Vesuvius, the Earth is populated with hundreds of active and dormant volcanoes. Among these volcanoes there are multiple different types. Stratovolcanoes, the most dangerous type of volcanoes, are built by multiple eruptions over many years. Shield Volcanoes, the largest recognizable volcanoes, are characterized by being short but very broad with low sloping sides. Cinder cones, the most common type of volcano in the world, are composed of large amounts of tephra, or pyroclastic debris. The last type of volcano is supervolcanoes. Supervolcanoes are the largest volcanoes. They also have the highest potential for damage. This paper will discuss these these different types of volcano.
Stories about volcanoes are captivating. Myths come in different versions, but all of them are capable of capturing yours, and everybody’s imagination.
Volcanoes can cause damage by spewing lava, but earthquakes before the eruption can also cause damage. These earthquakes open fissures and let magma out to the surface. When the magma exits these fissures, streams of lava up to hundreds of feet can shoot into the air. The picture below shows the lava erupting from the fissures created by the earthquakes in...
Climate Change has become a rising topic of interest and worry in Today's world. It has effected almost every aspect of modern life: Including the food industry, living conditions, as well as Volcanic activity. In recent years, Humanity has seen a steady increase in Volcanic activity, possibly due to climate change. The potential destruction from increased Volcanic Activity could potentially cause a mass extinction.
It is known however that lying underneath one of America's areas of great natural beauty, Yellowstone Park, lays one of the largest super volcanoes in the world. Scientists have discovered that it has been on a regular eruption cycle of 600,000 years. The last eruption was 640,000 years ago, therefore this shows the next eruption is late and could erupt at any moment. Scientists know that the collision of a Yellowstone eruption is terrifying to understand.
Magma is a hot liquid made of melted minerals. Minerals can form crystals when they are cool. Igneous rock can form underground, where the magma cools. slowly. Or, igneous rock can form above ground, where the magma cools.
Volcanoes are one of natures most interesting and dangerous phenomenons. The way volcanoes operate can be understood, on a basic level, by just some simple physics and chemistry, this paper will investigate and explain some of the basic physics that govern the behavior of volcanoes.
Convection currents deep in the mantle of the earth, begin to well up towards the surface. As the pressure increases, it sets the crustal plates in motion. There are different kinds of mountains - Volcanic, Folded, Fault-block, and Dome mountains. Volcanic mountains are formed when magma comes up through cracks in the Earth’s crust and explodes out of lava and ash. The Hawaiian volcanoes, Mt. Hood, Mt. Etna, Vesuvius, and Mt. Saint Helens is an example of volcanic mountains.
Volcanoes are one of the most destructive forces on Earth. It is estimated that some 500 million people live near active volcanoes (Lutgens and Tarbuck, 2013). Of the Earth's known volcanoes, 70 are expected to erupt each year with at least one large eruption each decade (Lutgens & Tarbuck, 2013). As populations continue to increase and more people are attracted to the beauty surrounding these areas, the immediate threat to humans from these sometimes sleeping giants grows. Due to this, the study of volcanoes and the service that volcanologists provide to the public by way of information and predictions on activity is immeasurable.
The sulfate aerosols cause chemical reactions in addition to chlorine and bromine reactions on stratospheric clouds that destroy the ozone.8 Some ozone depletion is due to volcanic eruptions. Analysis of the El Chichon volcanic eruption in 1983 found ozone destruction in areas of higher aerosol concentration (Hofmann and Solomon, "Ozone Destruction through Heterogeneous Chemistry Following the Eruption of El Chichon"). They deduced that the "aerosol particles act as a base for multiphase reactions leading