Volcanoes aren’t exactly the friendliest things. They tend to “explode” when they get mad and do more than just puffing some smoke in your face like a smoker. In fact, they can get quite dangerous too.
On average, around 50-70 volcanoes erupt per year. The number of times a volcano erupts isn’t exactly consistent, as some of them can erupt multiple times while others only erupt once.
This is well and all until you realize that a lot of people actually live in places or even communities that are situated near or even next to a volcano. Indeed, despite the ever-looming threat of being struck by a lava when the volcano they are next to erupts, people have still decided to make homes or communities near such places.
It’s not like they can help it either, some places tap upon the active geothermal energy that helps power entire cities, thanks to volcanic activity. Other places enjoy the rich mineral deposits in the soil, leading to potentially good harvests in the future.
However, as you might expect, this means that the people who live there have to deal with the potential chance of a volcano eruption. For locals who are used to the threat of a volcano all their lives, they probably know what the dangers are and what they should watch out for.
But what about someone who doesn’t have the same experience, like a tourist or someone just visiting? They won’t necessarily know about the potential dangers of a volcanic eruption and what they should be aware of when near a volcano.
Even if a volcano shows no sign of activity, it is always important to inform yourself of the potential hazards that a volcano can bring to you. This article is here to inform you about such hazards that you need to be aware of when visiting volcano territory.
Volcanic smoke
Volcanoes emit smoke. This is an activity that isn’t exclusive to times when a volcano is active either, but the presence of smoke usually indicates signs of activity.
This is not always 100% true, however. Certain volcanoes, like the Kilauea Volcano, erupt with little to no smoke.
But what is important here is what the volcanic smoke contains. Most of it is actually water vapor, which is harmless to humans. But water vapor isn’t all of it, as volcanoes have also been known to emit things like carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, hydrogen halides, and hydrogen sulfide, which can be hazardous to our respiratory system. You are more likely to breathe in water vapor, but volcanoes can also emit significant amounts of these dangerous gases and caution should be undertaken.
Lava flows
You can’t have a volcanic eruption without mentioning lava flows. This is when the magma that was once underneath the earth surfaces. Depending on the type of eruption, the lava may simply spew over and flow down the slope from whatever exit it came out of, or it may be tossed around more violently, where the lava might be thrown and flung around. The end result should be largely the same, however, where the lava will eventually flow like a slow burning glacier that torches everything in its path.
The danger from lava flow is very real, as they can easily reach temperatures of 1,250 degrees celsius, heat strong enough to boil the blood inside of you and ignite your skin long before one even actually touches the lava itself.
Thankfully, deaths from lava flows itself are relatively uncommon. Lava flows are slow enough that people are able move out of the way easily.
They can, however, be cut off from escape paths by lava flows from different places, and potentially find themselves trapped in between the lava with no way out.
This doesn’t mean that flowing lava is safe just as long as you don’t touch it, oh no. Lava can still cause grave pain and even fatalities to those who aren’t careful. Such instances include explosions when lava interacts with water or the toxic gases that accompany such deadly flows.
Ash
Ash is also one of the things that volcanoes spit out when they erupt. It doesn’t seem like it would be that deadly. After all, the particles themselves are tiny like dust, right? What harm could inhaling them do?
Turns out, a lot more than you might think.
For one, while ash may be smaller in size, this actually makes it even more dangerous, as the fine powdery things are hardened and sometimes even jagged or sharp. This means that inhaling a good amount of them can cause lacerations on the inside of your body without you even knowing them.
For this reason alone, make sure to never breathe in any ash clouds if you wish to keep your lungs safe and sound.
To make things worse, ash clouds have been known to travel far and wide across places, way beyond the scope of volcanic eruptions and activity, because of things like wind currents, spreading it all over. A little ashfall isn’t so bad, but a thick layer can easily form on top of places like rooftops. Ash that is four inches thick can weight anywhere between 120 to 200 pounds per square yard, and that isn’t even the worst of it, as wet ash can weigh twice as much.
Entire roofs have collapsed due to negligence of the ash on top or the inability of people to clean the ash due to other factors, like the dangers of the volcanic eruption not having passed yet.
Tsunamis
This is a big one, but only happens in places where volcanic activity is near the ocean or sea.
Earthquakes usually happen at the same time as volcanic eruptions. As such, tsunamis are also likely to form at the same time due to the disturbance of the waves. Any nearby island/s or land might find themselves in the way of a giant wave.
Random flung projectiles
Finally, we have the projectiles of the volcano itself. Other than lava and smoke, volcanoes have also been reported to be flinging things like hardened magma rocks in the air, and at quite distances too! Obviously, this is a very bad thing for people, as anyone who gets hit can suffer a very grievous injury.
Houses may also end up being dented, if not entirely totaled, while crop lands may end up being entirely ruined.
To make matters worse, the range of projectiles varies wildly, and you can only hope that none of the many projectiles flying across the sky are headed straight for you.