Volcanoes are greatly feared in many parts of the world because of their capacity to destroy everything in their path. They are reminders from our planet that it is capable of unleashing all its pent-up fury at any moment. For scientists, predicting a volcanic eruption is very complicated. Numerous variables influence this process. Some volcanoes are more concerning than others due to their high potential for danger or the population they could affect.
In this post we will talk about all the characteristics of an erupting volcano and which are the volcanoes whose eruptions are most imminent and expected. You want to know more?
Danger of an erupting volcano
For a natural phenomenon such as a storm, tornado, hurricane, or, as in this case, a volcanic eruption, to pose a certain danger, there must be a population that it can affect. If a natural phenomenon does not affect humans, it is not dangerous. Therefore, it can be said that its danger increases or decreases depending on the potential impact on property and human lives.
An erupting volcano can be very dangerous depending on the type of eruption you have. There are different types of eruptions. These are the main ones:
- Hawaiian eruptions: This type of eruption has an entirely basalt composition. Its name is due to the fact that it occurs on some islands such as the Hawaiian archipelago. Lava is usually quite fluid.
- Strombolian eruptions: These are the most famous for being the ones featured in movies and TV shows. Magma is very fluid and composed of basalts. You can see the magma slowly rising up the volcano's column until it explodes and releases all the lava. Bubbles form inside, just like in the movies. You can learn more about these. rashes.
- Vulcanian eruptions: We find a less explosive type of eruption. It occurs when the volcanic conduit is full of lava and, by accumulation, it is uncovered to get everything out. The explosions of these magmas can take up to a few hours.
- Plinian eruptions: These eruptions are characterized by their high gas content. When magmatic materials mix with the gases emitted, prihoclasts are formed. The famous pumice stone is formed in these eruptions.
- Surtseyan eruptions: They take place when magma interacts with seawater. If this is in high quantities, there will be explosions like those that occurred at the Surtsey volcano (hence its name).
- Hydrovolcanic eruptions: In them there is an explosion produced by the water vapor above the rock. These explosions generate devastating effects and run off mud.
Volcanoes "pending" eruption
When we say a volcano is on the verge of eruption, it's quite ambiguous. This is because it can be geologically almost active or anthropogenically almost active. In geology, geological time is the scale on which all Earth's processes occur. This scale is measured in millions of years, not centuries like the human timescale.
Therefore, a volcano can be geologically "on hold" and not currently affect humans at all. Let's take the Kilauea volcano as an example . Imagine it's geologically "on hold." This would mean it could erupt in 250.000 years. On a geological timescale, this is a short time. However, on a human timescale, it's unthinkable. You probably wouldn't mind knowing that a meteorite will fall to Earth in 250.000 years.
A real-world example is the Yellowstone Caldera volcano. Its eruption is predicted to be particularly devastating. Experts say the lava flow would extend between 50 and 65 kilometers. The eruption might not occur for thousands of years. However, there would only be one year's warning to prepare for such a catastrophic event.
Scientists study erupting volcanoes to understand their behavior and try to predict future eruptions. Very little is known about currently active volcanoes worldwide. What is known is that there are 550 volcanoes on the planet. This number does not include those on the ocean floor. Only volcanoes located near populated areas of the developed world, such as the United States, Japan, or Italy, are regularly monitored.
Volcano Studies
Scientists continually study what the likelihood of an erupting volcano will enter. To find out which are the most likely to erupt, the list of volcanoes that have had some type of eruption in a period of 10.000 years is taken into account. To protect the population against a disaster, vigilance should be increased and people who may be at risk should be removed. When the population is removed, false alarms and rejection can be created by the population. Therefore, it is important to be completely sure that the eruption of the volcano is imminent.
As we've mentioned throughout this post, predicting which volcanoes might erupt is quite complex . Scientists have identified the volcanoes that require closer monitoring. A list of the most important ones has been compiled. This doesn't mean that the volcanoes on the list are likely to erupt.
The volcanoes on this list are highly volatile. Most are located in densely populated regions with significant economic resources. They are capable of generating tons of ash, pyroclastic flows, lava flows, and more. For further information on these phenomena, you can consult the list of active volcanoes worldwide.
All of these factors are dangerous enough to just drop. It is necessary to increase vigilance and be prepared to evacuate the population as soon as possible.
These are the 16 volcanoes on the list:
- Avachinsky-Koryaksky in Kamchatka, Russia
- Colima in Jalisco, Mexico
- Galeras in Nariño, Colombia
- Mauna Loa in Hawaii, United States
- Etna in Sicily, Italy
- Merapi in Central Java, Indonesia
- Nyiragongo in North Kivu, the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Rainier in Washington, United States
- Vesuvius in Campania, Italy
- Unzen in Nagasaki / Kumamoto, Japan
- Sakurajima in Kagoshima, Japan
- Santa Maria in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala
- Santorini in South Aegean, Greece
- Taal Volcano in Calabarzon, Philippines
- Ulawun in New Britain, Papua New Guinea
For the sake of the people who live in these places, I hope they don't erupt on a human scale.