The main hazards of volcanic eruption

The most dangerous part of a volcano is the eruption of debris and lava. The main hazards are: causing casualties; destroying houses, farmland, roads and bridges; blocking rivers and flooding them; may cause disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides and debris flows; affect the global climate; destroy the environment. Volcanic ash, lava flow, pyroclastic flow and volcanic debris flow, earthquake and tsunami associated with volcanic eruption can cause huge disasters, even long-term disaster consequences, cause global climate change, and lead to large-scale regional famines. According to statistics, about 50 to 65 volcanoes erupt every year in the world, posing a serious threat to human life. Since the 1920s, in order to prevent and mitigate volcanic disasters, many countries have carried out monitoring and research on volcanic activities, predicted volcanic disasters and adopted corresponding countermeasures for disaster prevention and mitigation.

The main hazards of volcanic eruption are as follows:

(1) Casualties

Volcanic eruptions present a wild side of nature. An erupting volcano may spew hot red lava streams or emit large quantities of ash and volcanic gases. Such a natural catastrophe could cause thousands of casualties. Volcanic eruptions are often accompanied by massive gas ejections. Some volcanoes give out enough toxic gases to kill people. In August 1986, when the Nyworth volcano erupted in Cameroon, more than 1700 people died fromlarge quantities of harmful gases such as carbon dioxide emitted by the volcano.

(2) Properties

The combination of volcanic ash and torrential rain from volcanic eruptions can destroy roads and Bridges, inundate nearby villages and cities, and leave millions homeless. Mud from debris of soil and rock can flood the whole city.

(3) Shipping

Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano erupted on a massive scale in April 2010, ash forced many European airports to close and the aviation industry was badly hit. European Airlines suffered a 7% drop in traffic in April as a result of volcanic ash. Iceland's volcanic ash crisis has cost the global aviation industry $1.7 billion.

Indonesia's Mount Merapi has erupted several times since October 26, 2010, tens of millions of cubic meters of gas, gravel and ash plume washed up thousands of meters into the air, affected by volcanic ash, many aviation operations were affected.

Volcanic ash can drill into parts of aircraft engines block the engine, causing all sorts of damage.