Volcanology: Understanding The Basics

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By Carey Bourdier


In the simplest terms, a volcano is a rupture in the Earth's crust which forces out volcanic ash and lava. The world has many volcanoes, some of which are active and others are dormant, but throughout history, this force of nature and resulting in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people, as well as animals. Volcanologists are the scientists who study these geological features.

Why the study on volcanoes can be supplied by several reasons by volcanologists but mainly, volcanology exists to predict volcanic eruptions. In the end it is likely to save several lives. Yes, volcanologists may measure the seismic activity and even the level of gases too but it can't be totally told when a volcano is to erupt or how much impact its eruption will have.

In the last 50 years, more than 25,000 people have been killed because of volcanic eruptions. In terms of loss of life, the eruption of Nevado del Ruiz in Colombia was the most catastrophic of these volcanic events, with more than 22,000 people being killed as a result of the eruption. In the United States, the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980 was the most destructive in our nation's history, causing the death of 57 people and causing millions of dollars in damage

Many more tools help volcanologists to materialize their studies. Clinometers or inclinometers for instance are important and known as tilt meter. The angles of slopes are measured using clinometers. You'll find that the tilt meter is made especially to measure even the small changes on horizontal levels. Measuring even the smallest changes on the volcanic changes for the scientists to note is made accurate by this device. Volcanologists turn to another helpful tool in measuring seismic waves - the seismometer.

It now appears obvious that before any volcanic eruption, there is seismic activity. Then there is also the release of different gases thus volcanologists turn to special devices in order to measure the levels of gases. Sulfur dioxide for instance is one of the gases whose level is measured by a correlation spectrometer. This is highly important as the rise of this gas near a volcano is sign of high probability of volcanic eruption.

When volcanologists first begin studying a volcano, they use an array of surveying tools, such as theodolites and other optical instruments. After a thorough survey has been completed, they will begin collecting rock samples as the rocks near a volcano provide a great deal of historical prospective about the area. With all of the high-tech equipment used today, it might surprise you to note that a rock hammer is still used today to help volcanologists collect these rocks.




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