Volcanic

HAZARD
S
Volcanic
HAZARD
GROUP 1

S
OBJECTIVES
1 Demonstrate general knowledge and understanding of
the hazards posed by volcanic eruption;

2 Identify the most common volcano-related hazards; and

Explain the differences of the various volcano-related

3 hazards
What is
Volcano?
What is Volcano?
A volcano is a vent or 'chimney' that
connects molten rock (magma) from
within the Earth’s crust to the Earth's
surface.
The volcano includes the surrounding
cone of erupted material.
 Fun Fact
Did you know that the
Tallest Volcano in the
Solar System isn’t on
Earth, but on Mars.
Volcanic
HAZARD
S
 Volcanic Hazard
Volcanoes can be exciting and fascinating, but also very
dangerous. Any kind of volcano is capable of creating
harmful or deadly phenomena, whether during an eruption
or a period of quiescence. Understanding what a volcano can
do is the first step in mitigating volcanic hazards, but it is
important to remember that even if scientists have studied a
volcano for decades, they do not necessarily know
everything it is capable of. Volcanoes are natural systems,
and always have some element of unpredictability (Ball,
2005).
Volcanic Hazard

20th Century’s 2nd

Largest Volcano
Eruption - Mt.
Pinatubo-Eruption
Various Volcano-Related Hazard
 Lahars are a specific kind of mudflow made up of
volcanic debris. They can form in a number of
situations, namely,
1) when small slope collapses gather water on
LAHAR their way down a volcano,
ASHFALL
2) through rapid melting of snow and ice during
an eruption,
PYROCLASTIC FLOW
3) from heavy rainfall on loose volcanic debris,
VOLCANIC GASES 4) when a volcano erupts through a crater lake,
LAVA FLOWS or
BALLISTIC PROJECTILES 5) when a crater lake drains because of overflow
or wall collapse (Ball, 2005).
 Destructive Characteristics of Lahars

1. Lahars move rapidly down valleys like rivers

of concrete.
LAHAR 2. Lahars can occur with or without a volcanic
ASHFALL eruption.
PYROCLASTIC FLOW
3. Lahars pick up material as they travel, which
can cause damage to structures in their path.
VOLCANIC GASES
4. Lahars and excess sediment cause serious
LAVA FLOWS economic and environmental damage to river
BALLISTIC PROJECTILES
valleys and flood plains.
 LAHAR
ASHFALL

PYROCLASTIC FLOW

VOLCANIC GASES

LAVA FLOWS
BALLISTIC PROJECTILES
 LAHAR
ASHFALL

PYROCLASTIC FLOW

VOLCANIC GASES

LAVA FLOWS
BALLISTIC PROJECTILES
 LAHAR
ASHFALL

PYROCLASTIC FLOW

VOLCANIC GASES

LAVA FLOWS
BALLISTIC PROJECTILES
 Small jagged pieces of rocks, minerals, and
volcanic glass the size of sand and silt (less
than 1/12 inch or 2 millimeters in diameter)
LAHAR
erupted by a volcano are called volcanic ash.
Very small ash particles can be less than
ASHFALL 1/25,000th of an inch (0.001 millimeter)
PYROCLASTIC FLOW across. Though called "ash," volcanic ash is
VOLCANIC GASES not the product of combustion, like the soft
LAVA FLOWS
fluffy material created by burning wood,
leaves, or paper. Volcanic ash is hard, does not
BALLISTIC PROJECTILES
dissolve in water, is extremely abrasive and
mildly corrosive, and conducts electricity
when wet (US Geological Survey, 2000).
 Volcanic ash is formed during explosive
volcanic eruptions. Explosive eruptions occur
when gases dissolved in molten rock (magma)
LAHAR expand and escape violently into the air, and
ASHFALL also when water is heated by magma and
abruptly flashes into steam. The force of the
PYROCLASTIC FLOW
escaping gas violently shatters solid rocks.
VOLCANIC GASES
Expanding gas also shreds magma and blasts it
LAVA FLOWS into the air, where it solidifies into fragments
BALLISTIC PROJECTILES of volcanic rock and glass (US Geological
Survey, 2000).
 LAHAR

ASHFALL
PYROCLASTIC FLOW

VOLCANIC GASES

LAVA FLOWS
BALLISTIC PROJECTILES
 LAHAR

ASHFALL
PYROCLASTIC FLOW

VOLCANIC GASES

LAVA FLOWS
BALLISTIC PROJECTILES
 LAHAR

ASHFALL A pyroclastic flow is a dense, fast-moving flow

of solidified lava pieces, volcanic ash, and hot
PYROCLASTIC FLOW
gases. It occurs as part of certain volcanic
VOLCANIC GASES eruptions. A pyroclastic flow is extremely hot,
LAVA FLOWS burning anything in its path. It may move at
BALLISTIC PROJECTILES speeds as high as 200 m/s.
 Pyroclastic flows form in various ways. A
LAHAR common cause is when the column of lava,
ash, and gases expelled from a volcano during
ASHFALL
an eruption loses its upward momentum and
PYROCLASTIC FLOW falls back to the ground. Another cause is
VOLCANIC GASES when volcanic material expelled during an
LAVA FLOWS
eruption immediately begins moving down
BALLISTIC PROJECTILES
the sides of the volcano. Pyroclastic flows can
also form when a lava dome or lava flow
becomes too steep and collapses (National
Geographic, 2020).
 LAHAR

ASHFALL

PYROCLASTIC FLOW
VOLCANIC GASES

LAVA FLOWS
BALLISTIC PROJECTILES
 LAHAR

ASHFALL

PYROCLASTIC FLOW
VOLCANIC GASES

LAVA FLOWS
BALLISTIC PROJECTILES
 LAHAR

ASHFALL

PYROCLASTIC FLOW
VOLCANIC GASES

LAVA FLOWS
BALLISTIC PROJECTILES
 LAHAR Magma is molten rock containing dissolved
gases that are released to the atmosphere
ASHFALL during an eruption and while the magma lies
PYROCLASTIC FLOW close to the surface from hydrothermal
VOLCANIC GASES
systems. The most abundant volcanic gas is
water vapor; other important gases are
LAVA FLOWS
carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulfur
BALLISTIC PROJECTILES
oxides, hydrogen sulfide, chlorine, and
fluorine. The gases are transported away from
vents as acid aerosols, as compounds
adsorbed on tephra and as microscopic salt
particles.
 LAHAR

ASHFALL
Sulfur compounds, chlorine and fluorine react
with water to form poisonous acids damaging
PYROCLASTIC FLOW
to the eyes, skin and respiratory systems of
VOLCANIC GASES animals even in very small concentrations. The
LAVA FLOWS acids can destroy vegetation, fabrics and
BALLISTIC PROJECTILES metals. Atmospheric veils of dust or acid
aerosols caused by large-volume explosive
eruptions can affect regional or global climate
(Fisher, 1997).
 LAHAR

ASHFALL

PYROCLASTIC FLOW

VOLCANIC GASES
LAVA FLOWS
BALLISTIC PROJECTILES
 LAHAR

ASHFALL

PYROCLASTIC FLOW

VOLCANIC GASES
LAVA FLOWS
BALLISTIC PROJECTILES
 LAHAR

ASHFALL
Lava flows rarely threaten human life because
PYROCLASTIC FLOW
lava usually moves slowly - a few centimeters
VOLCANIC GASES per hour for silicic flows to several km/hour
LAVA FLOWS for basaltic flows. An exceptionally fast flow
BALLISTIC PROJECTILES
(extremely rare) at Mt. Nyiragongo, Zaire (30-
100 km/hour), overwhelmed about 300
people. Major hazards of lava flows -- burying,
crushing, covering, burning everything in their
path. Sometimes lava melts ice and snow to
cause floods and lahars.
 LAHAR

ASHFALL

PYROCLASTIC FLOW

VOLCANIC GASES
Lava flows can dam rivers to form lakes that
might overflow and break their dams causing
LAVA FLOWS floods. Methods for controlling paths of lava
BALLISTIC PROJECTILES flows: (1) construct barriers and diversion
channels, (2) cool advancing front with water,
(3) disruption of source or advancing front of
lava flow by explosives (Fisher, 1997).
 LAHAR

ASHFALL

PYROCLASTIC FLOW

VOLCANIC GASES

LAVA FLOWS
BALLISTIC PROJECTILES
 LAHAR

ASHFALL

PYROCLASTIC FLOW

VOLCANIC GASES

LAVA FLOWS
BALLISTIC PROJECTILES
 LAHAR

ASHFALL
Tephra falls and ballistic projectiles endanger
life and property by;
PYROCLASTIC FLOW

VOLCANIC GASES
1. the force of impact of falling fragments,
LAVA FLOWS but this occurs only close to an eruption,
BALLISTIC PROJECTILES 2. loss of agricultural lands if burial is greater
than 10 cm depth,
3. 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
4. carrying of noxious gases, acids, salts, and,
 LAHAR 4. carrying of noxious gases, acids, salts, and,
ASHFALL
close to the vent, heat. Burial by tephra
can collapse roofs of buildings, break
PYROCLASTIC FLOW
power and communication lines and
VOLCANIC GASES
damage or kill vegetation.
LAVA FLOWS

BALLISTIC PROJECTILES Even thin (<2 cm) falls of ash can damage such
critical facilities as hospitals, electric-
generating plants, pumping stations, storm
sewers and surface-drainage systems and
sewage treatment plants, and short circuit
electric transmission facilities, telephone
lines, radio and television transmitters. When
dispersed widely over a drainage basin, tephra
 LAHAR can change rainfall/runoff relationships. Low
permeability of fine ash deposits leads to
ASHFALL
increased runoff, accelerated erosion, stream-
PYROCLASTIC FLOW
channel changes and hazardous floods. In
VOLCANIC GASES contrast, thick, coarse-grained deposits closed
LAVA FLOWS to the source can increase infiltration capacity
BALLISTIC PROJECTILES and essentially eliminate surface runoff
(Fisher, 1997).
 LAHAR

ASHFALL

PYROCLASTIC FLOW

VOLCANIC GASES

LAVA FLOWS

BALLISTIC PROJECTILES
 So….
How do we minimize the risk
of active volcanoes?
Volcano Monitoring and
Hazard Mitigation
Volcano Monitoring
Volcano Observatories
are set up on all active
volcanoes that threaten
the human population.
These are designed to
monitor and potentially
to predict the eruptive
behaviour of the
volcano in question.
Seismic Activity
Earthquake activity commonly precedes an eruption
• Result of magma pushing up towards the surface
• Increase volume of material in the volcano shatters th
rock
• This causes earthquakes