Volcano Hazards

By William Kidd 8RG

 Pyroclastic Flow
What is a Pyroclastic flow?

Pyroclastic flows are hot fluidized

masses of rock fragments and
gases that can move rapidly.
Pyroclastic flows can happen in
many different ways. Small
Pyroclastic flows can move as fast
as 10 to 30 m/s while larger flows
can move at rates of 200 m/s.
 Lava Flows
Lava flows are the least hazardous of all results from a volcanic
eruption. Lava flows don’t move very fast so people rarely get killed
by them, but the lava is very hot, between 550 degrees C and 1400
degrees C. There are 2 different types of lava flows, the first one is
called Pahoehoe which is smooth and looks like a blob; and the
other one is called ‘a’a which is thicker than a phahoehoe, with a
sharp and pointy shape.
 Ash Clouds
Ash clouds are serious hazards if you are in a aircraft. The famous
incident in Jakarta some years ago, a BA Jumbo jet flew into the
ash cloud and all four engines flamed out.
On Sunday, May 18 1980 when Mt. St. Helens erupted the wall of ash
clouds traveled nearly 20 kilometers outward. In the end, almost 390
square kilometers of forest was destroyed.
Now you know how it is affecting far greater areas and many more
people than other volcanic hazards.
 Volcanic Bombs
A volcanic bomb is a mass of molten rock, larger than 65 mm (2.5
inches) in diameter. Volcanic bombs are formed when a volcano
ejects viscous fragments of lava during an eruption.
The big rocks which you see at the back are volcanic bombs.
 Poisonous Gases
The type of gas that is released into the Atmosphere is water
vapour(H2o) followed by Carbon dioxide(Co2) and Sulfur
dioxide(So2). Volcanoes can also release other gases, such as:
Hydrogen sulfide(H2s), Hydrogen(H2), Carbon monoxide (Co),
Hydrogen chloride (Hcl), Hydrogen Fluoride (HF) and lastly Helium
(He).
 Lahars
Lahars are one of the greatest volcanic hazards. They are similar to
Pyroclastic flows, but contain more water. Lahars usually travel
down valleys. The speed of Lahars sweeps cars off the roads. They
can stream down mountains at 100 miles per hour. People cannot
usually outrun a Lahars. Even if the car starts, unless they are
prepared to drive 20 miles at 100 miles per hour, they still may not
survive. Lahars can destroy everything in its often miles long path.
Examples Where these hazards happened
and the Effects they have had
Pyroclastic flow: On the 24th and 25th August AD79 the volcano, Vesuvius
erupted in Italy. On the 25th a Pyroclastic flow hit the town of Pompeii, Mt.
Vesuvius was 7 km away from Pompeii.
Mt. St. Helens eruption included a Pyroclastic flow that swept down the
mountains, flattening forests, overtaking vehicles and killing lots of people.
Lahars: When Vesuvius erupted, Pompeii was buried under ash, but the
nearby town Herculaneum was hit by a Lahars that totally buried the town.
Lava Flows: It happened in Ethiopia, the volcanic explosion spewed out lava
across a huge area of 300 sq km.
Volcanic Bombs: When Mt. Asama erupted in February 2009, it was
throwing rocks 1km from the crater.
Thank You for watching my presentation about:
Volcano Hazards
I hope you enjoyed it!

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