Various Volcano-Related Hazards

• Volcanologists are always working to understand

how volcanic hazards behave and what can be
done to avoid them.

• USGS bulletin enumerates a few of the more

common volcanic hazards, and some of the ways
in which they are formed and behave
Lahars
• Lahar is an Indonesian word describing a
mudflow or debris flow that originates on the
slopes of a volcano.
• Lahars are masses of rock, mud, and water that
travel rapidly downslope and downstream under
the action of gravity.
Lahars can form in a number of situations, namely,
1. when small slope collapses gather water on
their way down a volcano,
2. through rapid melting of snow and ice during an
eruption,
3. from heavy rainfall on loose volcanic debris,
4. when a volcano erupts through a crater lake, or
5. when a crater lake drains because of overflow
or wall collapse
Destructive Characteristics of Lahars
1. Lahars moved rapidly down valleys like rivers
of concrete.
2. Lahars can occur with or without a volcanic
eruption.
3. Lahars pick up material as they travel, which
can cause damage to structures in their path.
4. Lahars and excess sediment cause serious
economic and environmental damage to river
valleys and flood plains
 Ash Fall

• Volcanic ash consists of fragments of pulverized

rock, minerals, and volcanic glass created during
volcanic eruptions and measuring less than 2 mm in
diameter.

• The term volcanic ash is also often loosely used to

refer to all explosive eruption products, referred to
as tephra, including particles larger than 2 mm.
• Volcanic ash is formed during explosive volcanic
eruptions when dissolved gases in magma
expand and escape violently into the
atmosphere.
Devastating Effects of Ash Fall
• Ash fall rarely endangers human lives, but it can
have devastating effects on the things that
people rely upon from day to day living.
• As a result of its fine-grained abrasive character
and widespread distribution by wind, ash fall
and volcanic ash clouds are a major hazard to
aviation.
• Ash fallout to the ground can pose significant
disruption and damage to buildings,
transportation, water and wastewater, power
supply, communications equipment, agriculture,
and primary production leading to potentially
substantial societal impacts and costs, even at
thicknesses of only a few millimeters or inches.
• Additionally, fine-grained ash, when ingested can
cause health impacts to humans and animals.
Pyroclastic Flows
• A pyroclastic flow is a dense, fast-moving flow of
solidified lava pieces, volcanic ash, and hot gases.
• A pyroclastic flow is extremely hot, burning anything in
its path. It may move at speeds as high as 200 m/s.
• Most pyroclastic flows consist of two parts: a lower
(basal) flow of coarse fragments that moves along the
ground, and a turbulent cloud of ash that rises above
the basal flow
Pyroclastic flows form in different ways:
• Collapse of eruption column– during a highly
explosive eruption, the column ejected upwards
into the atmosphere cools and can become too
cool and dense to maintain upward momentum.
• “Boiling over” from eruptive vent – during
explosive eruption, material is erupted without
forming a high plume and rapidly moves down
slope
• Collapse of lava domes or flows – the fronts of
lava flows or domes can becomes so steep that
they collapse due to gravitational force
 Volcanic Gases

• The release of
volcanic gases is one
of the most common
volcanic activities
that occur before,
during, and after
eruptions.
• Volcanic gases are composed of different
materials depending on its location.
• Water vapor and carbon dioxide typically make
up the bulk composition of volcanic gases,
followed by sulfur dioxide.
• Other common volcanic gases include
hydrogen chloride, and hydrogen fluoride.
 Negative Impacts of Volcanic Gas
• Sulfur dioxide
• can form into sulfuric acid which is a
component of acid rain; and
• direct contact with sulfur dioxide can irritate
the eyes, cause skin rash, and poison the
respiratory system.
• Carbon dioxide in high concentrations can
cause asphyxiation without warning because of
the gas’ odorless and colorless nature.
• Volcanic gases also help in reflecting the heat
outside Earth creating an albedo effect.
• Hydrochloric acid helps in the degeneration of
the ozone layer.
Lava Flows
• Lava flows are streams of molten rock that pour
or ooze from an erupting vent.
• Lava is erupted during either non-explosive
activity or explosive lava fountains
• The speed of which lava moves across the
ground depends on several factors including:
1. type of lava erupted and its viscosity;
2. steepness of the ground over which it travels;
3. whether the lava flows as a broad sheet,
through a confined channel, or down a lava
tube; and
4. rate of lava production at the vent.
Negative Impacts of Lava Flows
• Lava flows can crush and bury structures and
livelihoods. They solidify over time making the
areas buried by the lava useless.
• Lava flows also burn surroundings because of
its intense heat. Flammable resources such as
wood, plants, and houses can get caught on
fire as lava flows along their path.
Ballistic Projectiles
• Ballistic projectiles are rocks that an erupting
volcano may hurl into the air.
• These blocks and bombs travel like cannonballs
and usually land within 2 km of the vent.
• These events may occur without warning and in
the absence of a larger magmatic eruption.
• Ballistic projectiles are limited to within about 5
km of vents
Devastating Effects of Ballistic Projectiles
Ballistic projectiles endanger life and property by:
1. the force of impact of falling fragments, but
this occurs only close to an eruption;
2. loss of agricultural lands if burial is greater
than 10 cm depth;
3. tephra falls can carry harmful and poisonous
particles and gases;
4. producing suspensions of fine-grained particles
in air and water which clogs filters and vents of
motors, human lungs, industrial machines, and
nuclear power plants; and
5. burial of tephra can collapse roofs of buildings,
break power and communication lines and
damage or kill vegetation.
Active Volcanoes in the Philippines
• Erupted within historical times (within the last 600
years), accounts of these eruptions were
documented by man erupted within the last
10,000 years based on the analyses of material
from young volcanic deposits.
 Signs of Impending Volcanic Eruption

1. Increase in the frequency of volcanic quakes

with rumbling sounds; occurrence of volcanic
tremors
• Volcanic earthquakes serve as an early warning
sign for an impending eruption, as well as a
marker for the location of a moving magma and
sudden rise of gases.

• Volcanic tremor is a long-lasting rhythmic signal

associated with magma in motion that can last
for minutes or days.
2. Increased steaming activity; change in color
of steam from white to gray due to entrained
ash

• Steam occurs mostly on active volcanoes.

Presence of steam signals that magma is
lying relatively close to the surface of the
volcano.
• Steam is produced when groundwater and
magma or any ignited fragment of rock
interacts.
• Meanwhile, ash is one of the fragments of
magma produced when magma is ejected with
great force.
• Presence of ashes signals that the magma is
being ejected violently.
3. Crater glow due to presence of magma at or
near the crater
• Crater glow can be observed when the
magma finally reaches the surface, and thus
referred as lava.
4. Ground swells (or inflation), ground tilt and
ground fissuring due to magma intrusion.

• Moving magma, gases, and other volcanic fluids

tend to cause the surface of the earth to bulge
upward (inflate) or spread apart which can
eventually lead to ground fissuring or cracking.
5. Localized landslides, rock falls and landslides
from the summit area that are not attributed to
heavy rains
• Landslide is the movement of rocks and soil
influenced by the force of gravity, strength of
the material, and steepness of a volcano. As
magma rises together with volcanic gases,
rocks are altered and weakened
6. Noticeable increase in drying up of
vegetation around the volcano's upper slopes

7. Increase in temperature of hot springs, wells

and crater lake near the volcano
8. Noticeable variation in the chemical content of
springs, crater lakes within the vicinity of the volcano

• Groundwater deep within the surface of the

volcano interacts with magma, volcanic gases,
host rocks, and even with other water coming from
springs, lakes, wells.
• Presence of certain compounds signals the
presence of magma such as magmatic carbon
dioxide, or high helium isotopes.
9. Drying up of springs/wells around the
volcano

10. Development of new thermal areas and/or

reactivation of old ones; appearance of
solfataras (craters with sulfur gas).
Performance Task 1
• Create an infographic about precautionary
measures before, during and after volcanic
eruption
Criteria:
Content…………………..20 Citations…….10
Visual Appeal …………15 Timeliness….10
Graphic Relevance…..15