How does mankind benefit from volcanoes

Early traces humans left in East Africa about 3 million years ago are footprints in volcanic tuffs Fig. It is as if man had walked through a thin layer of freshly poured-out concrete that subsequently hardened to the benefit of posterity and anthropology.

Seen in historical perspective, volcanoes are a threat to people, commonly only for very brief periods. Exceptions are places, such as the city of Kagoshima on the southern tip of the Japanese island of Kyushu, with its almost daily rain of ashes from the nearby almost permanently active volcano Sakurajima.

The custom to dry clothes in the garden thus never developed in Kagoshima. Distance Learning Opportunities for Educators and Students. General Informal Educator K Educator NASA News Pre-Services Educator University Faculty Volcanic eruptions result in ash being dispersed over wide areas around the eruption site.

And depending on the chemistry of the magma from which it erupted, this ash will be contain varying amounts of soil nutrients. In addition, eruptions release bits of rock such as pot olivine, pyroxene, amphibole, and feldspar, which are in turn rich in iron, magnesium, and potassium.

As a result, regions that have large deposits of volcanic soil i. For example, most of Italy has poor soils that consist of limestone rock. But in the regions around Naples the site of Mt. Vesuvius , there are fertile stretches of land that were created by volcanic eruptions that took place 35, and 12, years ago. The soil in this region is rich because volcanic eruption deposit the necessary minerals, which are then weathered and broken down by rain.

Once absorbed into the soil, they become a steady supply of nutrients for plant life. Hawaii is another location where volcanism led to rich soil, which in turn allowed for the emergence of thriving agricultural communities.

In addition to scattering ash over large areas of land, volcanoes also push material to the surface that can result in the formation of new islands. For example, the entire Hawaiian chain of islands was created by the constant eruptions of a single volcanic hot spot.

Over hundreds of thousands of years, these volcanoes breached the surface of the ocean becoming habitable islands, and rest stops during long sea journeys.

This is the case all across the Pacific, were island chains such as Micronesia, the Ryukyu Islands between Taiwan and Japan , the Aleutian Islands off the coast of Alaska , the Mariana Islands, and Bismark Archipelago were all formed along arcs that are parallel and close to a boundary between two converging tectonic plates.

Much the same is true of the Mediterranean. And in the Caribbean, volcanic activity led to the creation of the Antilles archipelago.

Water can actually come out of magma itself, as well. Volcanoes have also helped create a large portion of Earth's atmosphere , she added. Fertile soil is another advantage of volcanic activity. Volcanoes also provide a good environment for the formation of new habitats for animals, plants and insects, she said. Hot springs and geothermal energy are additional benefits. Places on Earth with the highest underground temperatures are located in regions with active or geologically young volcanoes , according to the Union of Concerned Scientists.

The most active geothermal resources are normally found along major plate boundaries where volcanoes and earthquakes typically occur, like the Ring of Fire , according to the University of Colorado Boulder. Sulfur, copper and gold are produced from volcanic activity, Krippner said. Diamonds are also brought up to the surface from the mantle from a rare kind of magma , called kimberlite.

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