Volcanoes 

Introduction

Volcano which is defined as a mountain or hill which provides an opening for eruption of lava, rock fragments, gases and hot vapors from the earth’s crust. It provides many benefit to our planet. As much as volcanoes seem terrifying they are essential for the life on earth. Some scientists argue the water on the earth and oceans were formed from the volcanoes millions of years ago. Volcanoes can be deadly but also fascinating. They exist on the dry land and also in the oceans. Although there are cold volcanoes as well that exist on other planets but in this blog we will talk about the volcanoes that we have on the earth. In this blog I will share with you what are some of the benefit of the volcanoes and what are some of the types of volcanoes. 

Benefit Of The Volcanoes

Volcanoes are vey beneficial to our planet and are essential to the life on earth as the volcanic eruptions bring up the minerals from the interior of the earth to the earth's surface. Volcanic deposits are rich in magnesium and potassium. Volcanic rock and ash weather produce extremely fertile soils.  After an volcanic eruption the fertile soils are used as agricultural land; there is an increased harvest in years after an eruption. 

Volcanoes also help to cool off the earth by removing heat from its interior. Volcanoes are the main location for energy exchange between the interior of the earth and the atmosphere, and this plays a critical role in our plant’s climate. If there are no volcanoes the earth’s tectonic plates will not move; earth would desolate.

Furthermore the volcanic lava doesn’t generate energy itself, but lava produces heat. The heat from the lava can be utilized to produce energy for the hot water and generate electricity. 

Type Of Volcanoes

Volcanoes vary in size and in eruption. There are different kind of volcanoes, some of the type of volcanoes are Cinder Cone Volcanoes, Composite Volcanoes, Shield Volcanoes, Submarine Volcanoes, Mud Volcanoes, and Lava Domes.

Cinder Cone Volcanoes

Cinder cones are the most common type of volcanoes in the world and are also the smallest type of the volcanoes. Cinder cones are often formed from the surface of the large volcanoes and create an active surface. They are made from the high viscosity lava, ash, cinders, and bombs. These material build up around the vent in a steel cone shaped hill which is why they are named cinder cones. Cinder cones typically don’t erupt for a long time and most of them are single-shot which means they don’t erupt again. 

Composite Volcanoes

Composite volcanoes are formed from alternating layers of lava flows, volcanic ash, and cinders. Composite volcanoes have the most violent eruptions. These violent eruptions are typically dramatic and explosive and eject massive amount of gases, ash, and rock fragments. The force of eruption can also cause powerful earthquakes and blow the side or top of the volcano. Some of the most beautiful mountains in the world are composite volcanoes i.e. Mount Fuji in Japan or Mount Shasta in California, United States. 

Shield Volcanoes

Shield volcanoes are formed from highly fluid lava and are built by the repeated eruptions that occurred intermittently over vast periods of time. They are usually wider than being taller and are called the shield volcanoes because they look like a shield laying on the ground. Shield volcano eruptions are not very common and it could take years for a shield volcano to erupt. Most of the shield volcanoes are less violent in eruption and can produce fire fountains. There is usually a shorter period between the eruptions. Because the erupted lava from the shield volcanoes is fluid they can flow long distances, travel fast and cover a larger area. 

Submarine Volcanoes

Submarines are also known as underwater mountains because they are located under the surface of the oceans. They can be violent and as large as the ones on dry land but because they are under water the explosion is different than the ones on the land. The weight of the water above them creates a high pressure typically resulting in passing lava flows along the seafloor and most of the submarine volcanic eruptions don’t disturb the seafloor. The passive floor hardens into rock and build up the height in the under water mountains over millions of years. Eventually some Volcanoes reach the heights above the seafloor and lower pressure allows for explosive eruptions. 

Volcanic islands have their own ecosystem. These ecosystems evolve over millions of years. Autotrophic bacteria which is built from the rocks, make their food from the elements and parts of the elements which are emitted from the volcanoes. Other species such as birds also contribute to their food supply i.e. by bringing seeds and spores from the land or other islands. 

Mud Volcanoes

Mud volcano is formed when hot water and gases have built up inside the earth and find an escape route to the surface of the earth via a network of fractures. These fluids move up the cracks, carrying mud with them and create a mud volcano as they escape. 

Azerbaijan has the most mud volcanoes in the world with estimated over 400 of them. Mud volcanoes don’t produce lava and can vary in size. Mud volcanos can be dangerous, most of the gas erupted from the mud volcanoes is methane which is highly flammable and creates fiery eruptions. 

Lava

Lava is a molten rock ejected by volcanoes in the form of liquid. Lava flows gradually and also gradually cools down. Lava eruptions are made up of crystals, liquid, and bubbles. Lava domes erupt violently and release huge amount of rock and ash.