Volcanoes are an extremely dangerous message from nature, signaling destruction that originates deep within the Earth.
Little-Known Facts About Volcanoes
10. Maleo Birds
Not all species associate volcanoes solely with destruction. There is a special bird species that depends on volcanoes for survival.
This is the Maleo bird – an endangered species that uses geothermal energy from volcanoes to incubate its eggs.
During the breeding season, these birds seek out areas with erupting volcanoes to utilize their heat for incubation.
The “giant” eggs of the Maleo bird. (Photo: Arkive.org).
The reason for this is simple: Maleo eggs are exceptionally large, about five times the size of a regular chicken egg. However, a Maleo bird is only the size of a regular duck, so they cannot incubate their own eggs.
9. Black Lava
Ol Doinyo Lengai is the most unique volcano in the world, located in Tanzania. This volcano rises to 2200m and stands amidst vast grasslands. However, its true power lies in the lava within.
Ol Doinyo Lengai is the only volcano in the world that can erupt “black lava” – a black mud that is also known as carbonatite lava.
Geologists believe that this type of lava is so rare that it could only be found on another planet. Its temperature hovers around 510°C. This characteristic is unlike any other volcano in the world.
When expelled, this lava cools in the air and falls like shards of glass.
8. Volcano Gods
Volcanic eruptions have often been likened to events created by the gods. Many cultures living in volcanic regions have worshipped volcano gods.
Perhaps the most famous among them is the god Vulcan, one of the twelve gods of Mount Olympus. The god of fire and metallurgy, his Latin name – Vulcan is the root of the word Volcano, meaning volcano.
The people of Hawaii, living in a region with active volcanoes, still worship Pele – the volcano goddess and one of the primal deities of the Hawaiian people.
According to Hawaiian legend, the battle between Pele and her sister – Namakaokahai created the volcanoes, and Pele can control the volcanoes at will.
7. Volcanic Eruption Index (VEI)
The Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) was developed in 1982 to measure and provide a relative scale of the magnitude of volcanic eruptions.
According to its scale, all eruption events are measured from 0 to 9. Eruptions that score between 0 and 2 occur daily or weekly.
An eruption that ranks VEI 3 is classified as strong, capable of ejecting a column of gas and ash over 15 kilometers into the atmosphere; such events occur annually.
Eruptions ranked VEI 4 and 5 occur decades or centuries apart. Their explosive power can affect altitudes of 25km or more.
Levels VEI 6 and 7 are respectively termed “colossal” and “super colossal”, and such volcanoes are not common.
But they act like a terrible bomb causing tsunamis or ejecting high-temperature rocks hundreds of miles away, producing vast amounts of ash that cover entire regions.
A prime example is the eruption of Krakatoa in the Sunda Strait, which caused a series of explosions and severe tsunamis resulting in approximately 36,000 fatalities; this eruption is rated 6.
Level 8 – super eruptions, are calculated to be 100 times more powerful than the Krakatoa eruption and can create a caldera as wide as a small country.
Fortunately, VEI 8 eruptions have not occurred in human history; instead, they happened in various locations around the globe, such as Yellowstone (6.4 million years ago), Toba (74,000 years ago), and Lake Taupo (25,000 years ago).
6. Types of Volcanoes
Most people think they are just mountains that spew lava. However, there are actually three distinct types of volcanoes: (active volcanoes, dormant volcanoes, and extinct volcanoes).
There is also a special type often regarded as a fourth category. Type One: Cone-shaped volcanoes, which are hollow mountains with an open summit and a lava lake inside.
Type Two: Composite volcanoes are tall, conical volcanoes consisting of multiple layers of lava, ash, and dust; during eruptions, they can produce enormous explosions that push through the atmosphere.
Type Three: Shield volcanoes, most commonly found in Hawaii, have a flat slope and low gradient, with a mix of various low-viscosity lava flows inside.
Type Four: Not always considered a volcano, this is a special phenomenon known as lava domes.
These domes are accumulations of dense lava, which, during eruptions, get trapped in valleys or craters and cannot flow further.
They accumulate and gradually cool. Although they may seem harmless, the formation of lava domes can sometimes accompany very devastating eruptions.
5. Kawah Ijen
Kawah Ijen is an active composite volcano located on the eastern side of Java. Due to volcanic activity occurring at a high altitude, it is a site of significant sulfur deposits.
This has provided the local population with a stable income through sulfur mining. However, it also creates one of the world’s most terrifying lakes.
The crater is filled with a body of water known as Kawah Ljen, which is the largest acid lake in the world. Heavy sulfur contamination has made it a deadly lake filled with sulfuric acid.
The pH level of the lake is only 0.5. This lake can “eat” anything, including metal. The fumes rising from the lake are extremely toxic and can be fatal; even with a mask, breathing is still difficult.
Due to the lake’s characteristics, any eruption from Mount Ijen would be extremely dangerous.
Not only would it create a massive acid rainstorm, but this acid lake could also generate Lahars, a type of volcanic mudflow/debris flow that poses a severe threat to the people of Java.
4. Paricutin Volcano
In 1943, a farmer unexpectedly heard strange noises and discovered a long crack on his farm.
Shortly after, the noise grew louder, and the crack continued to widen; within hours, the ground began to rise, and this volcano formed overnight.
Initially just 1.8m high, the Paricutin volcano rapidly grew. In the next 24 hours, it reached 50m, and after six days, it had doubled in height.
Throughout this process, lava was continuously flowing. Despite starting as a relatively small mountain, the surrounding areas, including the town of San Juan, were gradually consumed by lava flows, forcing residents to evacuate.
Nine years later, Paricutin continued to erupt. Before it went dormant in 1952, it expanded to 25.9 km2 and reached a height of 424m.
3. Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa Volcanoes
Mauna Kea is a mountain that rises 4,205 meters above sea level. However, when measured from the ocean floor, Mauna Kea reaches a height of 9,000 meters, making it the tallest volcano in the world, surpassing even Mount Everest (8,848 meters). Although it has not been active for the past 4,000 to 6,000 years, Mauna Kea remains magnificent and is beloved for its stunning natural beauty, as well as the extremely popular resort located there.
Mauna Loa, located on another island, is still active. Although it stands at only 4,170 meters, its true height measured from the ocean floor is approximately equal to that of Mauna Kea. However, its volume is much larger, covering half of Hawaii with a length of 96.5 kilometers and a width of 48 kilometers. Mauna Loa has erupted 39 times, with the last eruption occurring in 1984, and today, the volcano shows signs of awakening once more.
2. Gwadar Mud Volcano
On September 24, 2013, a powerful earthquake measuring 7.7 on the Richter scale occurred offshore near Pakistan. A few days later, a new island formed right in the ocean.
An oval-shaped island, 91 square meters in size, suddenly appeared, but that’s not all; this island also emitted flammable gas, creating a highly dangerous explosion.
The cause of this event was the sudden emergence of a mud volcano, a type of volcano that erupts superheated mud instead of lava as is typical. When this volcano becomes active at the ocean floor, the mud rapidly cools in seawater, forming an island.
1. The Impact of Volcanoes on Climate
Volcanic eruptions have short-term effects such as firestorms and lava flows. In fact, many experts believe that natural processes like volcanic eruptions can significantly influence climate change.
There are three primary types of climate change: ozone layer depletion, the greenhouse effect, and global dimming (the increase of small particles in the atmosphere, such as ash and dust, that obscure light, resulting in lower global temperatures).
Volcanic activity is likely to contribute to these changes: eruptions release acids that destroy the ozone layer, along with large amounts of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, and dust. Because a significant amount of ash is expelled during eruptions, this greatly contributes to global dimming. Interestingly, this means that massive volcanic eruptions can actually lower the Earth’s temperature rather than increase it.
