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KEY CONCEPT
Long-term Effects
Volcanic eruptions can be tremendously destructive. But even after
an eruption ends, a volcano can remain dangerous for many years.
The explosive eruption of Mount Pinatubo in 1991 threw out huge
amounts of volcanic ash and rock fragments. The area the volcano is
in gets heavy rains each year. Mudflows
have formed as large amounts of rainwater
mixed with ash and other loose material on
the sides of the volcano. Since the eruption,
mudflows have destroyed the homes of
more than 100,000 people.
Another possible source of water for
mudflows was a lake that began filling
the volcano’s crater. The upper part of the
This school bus was partly buried by a mudflow from
Mount St. Helens. No one was in the bus when the crater is weak, and the lake level was rising.
mudflow hit. A collapse of the crater could have emptied
the lake of much of its water. In 2001,
people dug a channel to lower the level of the lake, greatly decreasing
the chance of a collapse.
check your reading Why can volcanic ash be dangerous for years after an eruption?
Even though volcanoes are dangerous, over time they can have
positive effects. When a lava flow cools, it forms a layer of hard rock
on which no plants can grow. However, over many years, this rock can
break down to form rich soil. Volcanic ash can smother plants, but the
tiny pieces of rock break down quickly and make soil richer. Highly
productive farmland surrounds some active volcanoes.
Over time, repeated volcanic eruptions can build a magnificent
landscape of mountains and valleys. People may choose to live in a
volcanic area in part for its natural beauty. Many other people may
visit the area, supporting a tourist industry.
Mudflows
SKILL FOCUS
How does the shape of the land affect mudflows? Analyzing
PROCEDURE
1 Look at the map of Mount Rainier mudflows. Observe the relationship MATERIAL
Map of Mount
between the paths of rivers and the paths of the mudflows.
Rainier Mudflows
2 Write the number of towns shown within the boundaries of mudflow areas. TIME
3 Write the differences in elevation between the following locations: the top of 25 minutes
Mount Rainier and the point where the West Fork joins the White River, the
point where the rivers join and the town of Buckley, and the towns of Buckley
and Auburn. Where is the land steepest?
4 On the back of the paper, explain why in some areas mudflows have
followed rivers and in other areas mudflows have spread out.
odors come from gases released into the air from magma. Some of An element is a substance
these gases contain the element sulfur. Hydrogen sulfide gas smells that contains only one type
of atom.
like rotten eggs. Sulfur dioxide gas is what you smell when you strike a
match. The volcano might also be releasing carbon dioxide, a gas you
would not notice because it has no color or odor. Volcanoes release
gases before, during, and after eruptions.
Many gases from volcanoes are dangerous. They can make breathing
difficult and damage the lungs of people and animals. Carbon dioxide
can be fatal. In West Africa, a sudden release of carbon dioxide killed
1700 people in 1986. The gas came from a volcano at the bottom of a
lake. Carbon dioxide built up in the water until a large amount escaped
at once. Pipes are now being used to release carbon dioxide from the
bottom of the lake so that the gas will not build up again.
Some gases, such as sulfur dioxide, form acids when they mix
with water in the air. These acids fall to Earth’s surface in rain, snow,
VOCABULARY or sleet. Rain that contains large amounts of acid is called acid rain.
Make a word triangle for Volcanoes are sources of acid-forming gases, but a bigger source is
acid rain in your notebook.
human activity. For example, the burning of coal in electrical power
plants adds acid-forming gases to the air. In some areas, acid rain has
damaged forests and killed fish in lakes.
Large amounts of volcanic gases in the atmosphere can change
weather worldwide. The 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo released
enough sulfur dioxide to form a haze high in the atmosphere around
the entire planet. The haze decreased the amount of sunlight reaching
Earth’s surface and lowered average world temperatures in 1992
and 1993.
Volcanic gases can lift ash high above an erupting volcano. Winds
can then carry the ash far away. During the May 1980 eruption
of Mount St. Helens, ash falling 400 kilometers (250 mi) away in
Spokane, Washington, blocked so much sunlight that nighttime street-
lights were turned on during the day. The smallest ash particles can
remain in the air for years, circling Earth many times. These particles
also reflect sunlight and can lower Earth’s temperature.
check your reading Describe two ways sulfur dioxide can affect the atmosphere.
Geysers
broken rock
Water collects
until it erupts.
Cold water
moves down.
check your reading Why might fumaroles and hot springs be monitored?
Deep-Sea Vents
Deep-sea vents are hot springs that form at
spreading centers in the ocean. In these places,
the ocean floor has many cracks through which
cold seawater sinks to depths of several kilo-
meters. The sea water gets heated by hot rock and
magma, then rises again. The hot water coming
out of the ocean floor is rich in dissolved minerals
and gases from the rock and magma.
At some deep-sea vents, warm water flows
gently from cracks in the ocean floor. At others,
water at temperatures that can be higher than
350°C (660°F) shoots out of chimney-like vents.
The water looks black because it contains large
amounts of dissolved minerals. As the hot
water mixes with cold water, dissolved minerals
form into solid minerals again, building up
the vent chimneys.
This deep-sea vent is more Deep-sea vents support such unusual life forms as blind crabs
than 3 kilometers (2 mi)
below the surface of the
and tubeworms that measure up to 3 meters (10 ft) long. These
Atlantic Ocean. A black animals feed on one-celled organisms that get their energy from
cloud of mineral-rich chemicals in the vent water. Unlike other one-celled organisms, these
water rises from the vent.
organisms do not need sunlight to make their food.
check your reading Why do chimneys form around some deep-sea vents?