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Volcano Eruptions |
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Have you ever wondered what causes volcanoes to erupt with such awesome power? Well I have and thats why I chose to to volcano eruptions. |
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The best way to relate the eruption of a volcano to common life is comparing it to a bottle of soda. What happens if you shake the bottle of soda for a really long time and then take the cap off? It explodes, right? Well the same thing happens with volcanoes. |
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Diagram |
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When rock inside the Earth becomes hot enough it melts. This molten rock, otherwise known as magma or lava, is less dense than the surrounding solid rock. And just as an object that is less dense than water will float on water, the relatively low density of the magma causes it to rise to the surface of the Earth. If the magma contains water or dissolved gases, when it reaches the surface, the water and the gases will suddenly expand into steam and gas, causing a violent eruption. |
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Vocano eruptions can be extremely dangerous. The magma that is released when the volcano erupts ranges from 550 to 1440 degrees Celcius, which in my opinion, is pretty gosh-darn hot. However lava flows don't move particulary fast, so people rarely get killed by them. Lots of people do get minor injuries from flows such as burns on their bare skin or even singed eyebrows. |
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Lava flows can also travel for miles and can cause a considerable amount of property damage. Especially since its practically impossibe to stop lave flow. The least you can do is divert it away, but even that is extremely difficult. |
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Lava flows are also hazardous because they can cause snow and ice to melt very quickly which could lead to massive flooding. |
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