11/18/2011

Understanding the True Risks of Volcano Eruptions



Although many people are aware of the fact that volcanoes are dangerous, there are other risks that people might not be aware of. One obvious volcano risk is the lava comes from a volcano when it erupts. People understand that the lava is hot and can destroy anything that touches it and this fact is what most people think of when they think of volcano risks. However there are other dangers that happen due to a volcano eruption and these dangers are often misunderstood to the general
population.
One important volcano risk that can be even more dangerous than the hot lava is the gases that are released upon a volcanic eruption. These gases are perhaps more dangerous than the hot lava because they travel faster than the lava from a volcano. Lava from a volcanic eruption does not move fast and although it is possible to outrun streaming hot lava. However, gas is airborne and travels faster and the consequences can be extremely hazardous.
One of the poisonous gases that are released during a volcanic eruption is carbon dioxide. If a person is trapped in a cloud of pure carbon dioxide it is possible that they will experience difficulty breathing and might find themselves suffocating. There are other gases that are released into the air after a volcanic eruption and there have been various instances of people who have died from the inhalation of poisonous gases.
Another volcano risk that people do not understand is the volcanic ash. Images of volcanic eruption do not capture the dangers of volcanic ash. Unlike other forms of ash, volcanic ash is not powdery dust that floats
onto the land. Volcanic ash is actually made up of heavy rock and it can destroy any objects that it comes into contact with. This danger is often misunderstood because it appears to be light in the air however it is quite heavy and can rain down and crush anything in its path.
The third volcano risk is the most deadly and has claimed the lives of many people in volcanic eruptions. This risk is the pyroclastic flow. People who are caught in the pyroclastic flow of a volcanic eruption die instantaneously. The speed of a pyroclastic flow from a volcanic eruption is so fast and the hot rock and gas flies out of the volcano.
The pyroclastic flow destroys everything in its path therefore people inside of moving vehicles cannot outrun a pyroclastic flow. Many people are unaware of this volcano risk and they think that the lava or ash from a
volcanic eruption is the most dangerous. However, the pyroclastic flow is the most deadly consequence from a volcanic eruption.

Kathleen Hubert is a blogger who writes on a variety of different sites.
Check out more of her work at http://refrigerators.org or http://modularhomes.org

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