Volcanos

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Mount St. Helens, May 18, 1980
USGS Photo by Austin Post

Over five hundred active volcanos are known throughout the world. When they erupt, hot magma from underneath the earth’s crust spews into the atmosphere in a form of lava. Noxious gases, dust and rocks often accompany it. Occasionally, if a volcano overheats large quantities of water, landslides and huge mud flows can also occur.

Two thirds of the earth’s volcanos occur along the Pacific rim. In August 1883, a small volcanic island in Indonesia exploded with a roar that could be heard three thousand miles away. It hurled rocks so high into the air, that they fell over an area of three hundred thousand square miles. The shock from the explosion travelled around the world several times.

Volcanos can lie dormant for centuries, and then come roaring back to life. Mount St. Helens in Washington State which had been dormant since 1854, suddenly erupted on May 18th 1980.

When thick clouds of red hot gases pour down on populated areas, deaths can be almost instantaneous. In 1902 when Mount Pelee on the island of Martinique erupted, 38,000 people were asphyxiated in three minutes. The only survivor was a criminal in an underground prison, who would have been hanged that very day!

So next time you’re near the rim of an active volcano, remember, it may not always give advance warning of its plans to erupt.