Most geologists believe that society severely underestimates
the destructive power of volcanoes. This is because
worldwide, millions of people live on the slopes of lightly
sleeping volcanoes and millions more live in nearby areas
that will be devastated by future eruptions.
Also, if asked to name the most destructive products of a
volcano, most people would quickly list lava and ashfalls.
However, only a few have even heard of the lahars, pyroclastic
flows, tsunamis, and climate changes which have
individually killed more people.
Since 1800 seven different volcanoes have produced lahars
that have each killed thousands of people, and pyroclastic flows at
eleven volcanoes have killed similar numbers. Climate
changes have killed tens of thousands during this time
period with the 1815 eruption of Tambora being directly
linked to about 80,000 deaths. Volcanoes are much more
dangerous than most people realize.
Education is the key to changing this situation and
protecting people from volcanic hazards. The two most important
things that people can do are: 1) understand the dangers of
volcanoes; and, 2) recognize areas that will be affected by future
eruptions.
The purpose of this lesson is to introduce you to volcanoes and
the hazards that are associated with them. You will also learn
about the methods that are used to monitor volcanoes and
detect evidence of possible eruptions.
The image of Sakura Jima is from NASA's
Earth From Space image collection..
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