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PINAROC, LYKA E.
BSCE 2B
1. History & Processes made by Volcanoes
Volcanoes are Earth's geologic architects. They've created more than 80 percent of our planet's surface, laying the foundation that has allowed life to thrive. Their explosive force crafts mountains as well as craters. But as time ticks by, the elements break down these volcanic rocks, liberating nutrients from their stony prisons and creating remarkably fertile soils that have allowed civilizations to flourish. Some 75 percent of the world's active volcanoes are positioned around the ring of fire.
The deadliest eruption in recorded history was the 1815 explosion of Mount Tabora in Indonesia. The blast was one of the most powerful ever documented and created a caldera— essentially a crater—4 miles across and more than 3,600 feet deep which killed around 10,000 people.
2. How are volcanoes formed?
At constructive plate boundaries, the tectonic plates are moving away from one another. The Earth’s crust is pulled apart to create a new pathway for rising hot magma to flow on to the surface. Destructive, or convergent, plate boundaries are where the tectonic plates are moving towards each other. Volcanoes form here in two settings where either oceanic plate descends below another oceanic plate or an oceanic plate descends below a continental plate. This process is called subduction.
3. Types of Volcanoes a) Shield Volcano Shield volcanoes are volcanoes shaped like a bowl or shield in the middle with long gentle slopes made by basaltic lava flows. These are formed by the eruption of low- viscosity lava that can flow a great distance from a vent.
b) Cinder Cone Volcano
Cinder cones are circular or oval cones made up of small fragments of lava from a single vent that have been blown up. Cinder cones result from eruptions of mostly small pieces of scoria and pyroclastics that build up around the vent.
c) Lava Dome Lava domes are formed when erupting lava is too thick to flow and makes a steep-sided mound as the lava piles up near the volcanic vent. They are built by slow eruptions of highly viscous lava.
d) Composite Volcano Composite volcanoes are steep-sided volcanoes composed of many layers of volcanic rocks, usually made from high-viscosity lava, ash and rock debris. These types of volcanoes are tall conical mountains composed of lava flows and other ejecta in alternate layers, the strata that give rise to the name.
4. Effects of volcanoes on Earth (Positive & Negative)
a) POSITIVE - Geothermal energy can be generated in areas where magma lies close to the surface. This is good for increasing renewable energy use and generate electricity. - Ash ejected by the volcano acts as a good fertiliser for soils. - Volcanoes attract many tourists, who enjoy the dramatic scenery that they produce. b) NEGATIVE - Volcanic eruptions can give additional threats to human lives and damage properties. - Volcanic gases like sulfur dioxide can cause global cooling. - Lahars and Lava flows can destroy settlements and clear areas of woodland and agriculture with its fast flowing
5. Elaborate how volcano eruptions are measured and give some examples of it. The Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) is a scale that describes the size of explosive volcanic eruptions based on magnitude and intensity. The numerical scale (from 0 to 8) is a logarithmic scale. The scale is based on the volume of magma erupted (magnitude) and the eruption column height of explosive eruptions.
A value of 0 is given for non-explosive eruptions, defined as less than 10,000 m3 of tephra ejected; and 8 representing a mega-colossal explosive eruption that can eject 240 cubic miles of tephra and have a cloud column height of over 20 km.
One example of this is the VEI-6 of Mt. Pinatubo which erupted in 1991. The ash plume height reaching more than 40 km (28 mi) high and ejecting more than 10 km3 of magma.
6. Profile of active Volcanos in the Philippines
a) Mt. Mayon At around 2462-meter-high, Mayon Volcano is one of the most famous volcanoes in the Philippines situated in Albay. Since 1616, Mayon has erupted over 30 times, making it the most active volcano in the Philippines. Its last eruption was on January 13, 2018 with no deaths recorded. Its most destructive eruption recorded was on February 1, 1814 with VEI-4 causing more than 1200 deaths.
b) Mt. Taal Taal may be one of the lowest volcanoes in the world with just 311 meters elevation but it is recognized as the second most active volcano in the Philippines with 33 historical eruptions. Its last eruption was in January 12, 2020 with a VEI-4 and 39 deaths.
c) Mt. Kanlaon This volcano is the highest point in the Visayas region, with an elevation of 8,087 feet and a base diameter of 30 kilometers. It is located between Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental. Erupting around 30 times since 1819, Kanlaon is considered the third most active volcano in the Philippines. Its last eruption was in 2006.
d) Mt. Pinatubo It rises at about 1,460 meters high and is located within the boundaries of Central Luzon provinces - Zambales, Tarlac, Pampanga. Pinatubo is most notorious for its VEI-6 eruption on June 15, 1991, the second-largest terrestrial eruption of the 20th century with more than 350 deaths.
e) Mt. Bulusan Mount Bulusan is a stratovolcano 70 kilometers southeast of the Mayon Volcano. This active volcano in the Philippines has a peak elevation of 5,135 feet above sea level and a base diameter of 15 kilometers. Since 1885, Bulusan Volcano has erupted 15 times, making it the fourth most active volcano in the country. Its last eruption was in 2011 with a VEI of 2 and 1 death.
