Lava junkies, victims and volcanologists have varying perspectives on volcanic power. In Hawaiian culture, volcanoes are viewed as both a destructive force and a renewing force. Volcanoes are essentially a cooling vent for the earth. Plate Tectonics Theory is explained and made a huge impact on geoscience. Hawaii's Kilauea, the world's most active volcano, attracts scientists who wish to study lava flows. A resident of the Hawaiian town of Kalapana recalls its destruction. "Lave junkies" consist of people ranging from Mark Twain to photographers. The eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 A.D. destroyed the city of Pompeii, Italy.
Scientifically monitoring "sleeping giants" helps to better understand as well as predict future eruptions. Belonging to what is referred to as the Ring of Fire, New Zealand's Wairakei, is studied for its fumaroles (steam vents), as well as its emissions of sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide (the rotten egg gas). The animal and human death toll of the Mt. Saint Helens eruption is listed out. Pyroclastic flow (hot gas mixed with ash) is the deadliest kind of eruption. The accurate prediction of the 1991 eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines prevented an even greater death toll. The ash from an eruption can produce meteorological changes on a global scale long after the eruption is over. Volcanologists Maurice and Katia Kraft were the most prolific contributors in their field but also paid the ultimate price. In the future, the use of robotic probes would minimize the cost to human life. People do learn to live and thrive in the shadow of a volcano. For the Hawaiians, this means revering these geological forces as the work of Pele, the Goddess of Fire.
Scientifically monitoring "sleeping giants" helps to better understand as well as predict future eruptions. Belonging to what is referred to as the Ring of Fire, New Zealand's Wairakei, is studied for its fumaroles (steam vents), as well as its emissions of sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide (the rotten egg gas). The animal and human death toll of the Mt. Saint Helens eruption is listed out. Pyroclastic flow (hot gas mixed with ash) is the deadliest kind of eruption. The accurate prediction of the 1991 eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines prevented an even greater death toll. The ash from an eruption can produce meteorological changes on a global scale long after the eruption is over. Volcanologists Maurice and Katia Kraft were the most prolific contributors in their field but also paid the ultimate price. In the future, the use of robotic probes would minimize the cost to human life. People do learn to live and thrive in the shadow of a volcano. For the Hawaiians, this means revering these geological forces as the work of Pele, the Goddess of Fire.