Revised and Updated Edition Paul Challen

Revised and Updated Edition Paul Challen

For Sam, Evelina, and Henry Researcher and editor: Adrianna Morganelli Proofreader: Emily McMullen Photo research: Crystal Sikkens Cover design: Ken Wright Editorial director: Kathy Middleton Print coordinator: Katherine Berti Prepress technicians: Margaret Amy Salter and Ken Wright First edition: Coordinating editor: Ellen Rodger Copy editors: Sean Charlebois, Carrie Gleason Designer and production coordinator: Rosie Gowsell Proofreader: Adrianna Morganelli Cover design: Rob MacGregor Indexer: Wendy Scavuzzo Photo research: Allison Napier Consultant: Dr. Richard Cheel, Earth Sciences Department, Brock University Cover: Eyjafjallajökull eruption, Iceland, 2010: This lava fountain and ash cloud was followed by severe lightning activity. The brightness seen in the volcano is not erupting lava but an extremely powerful lightning strike that was created by the ash cloud. Contents: An aerial view of Mount Fuji, Japan s highest volcano Title page: Volcanoes sometimes erupt in a fiery show of lava. Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication Challen, Paul, 1967- Volcano alert! / Paul Challen. -- Rev. ed. (Disaster alert!) Includes index. Issued also in electronic format. ISBN 978-0-7787-1595-5 (bound).--isbn 978-0-7787-1628-0 (pbk.) 1. Volcanoes--Juvenile literature. I. Title. II. Series: Disaster alert! QE521.3.C45 2011 j551.21 C2010-907572-2 Photographs: Associated Press: pages 11 (top), 27 (bottom) Bridgeman Art Library: The Illustrated London News Picture Library, London, UK: page 20; Phillips: page 21 (left) Corbis: Bettmann: page 22 (top); Roger Ressmeyer: page 26 Dreamstime: page 17 (bottom) Pete Turner/Getty Images: page 28 istockphoto: pages 4 (bottom), 21 (right) Keystone Press: Zhang Yuwei/Zumapress.com: page 25 (top); Donatella Giagnori/Zumapress.com: page 27 (top) National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/Department of Commerce: p. 15 (top) Photo Researchers: Stephen & Donna O Meara: page 10 (top); Images & Volcans: page 16 (bottom); Philippe Bourseiller: page 22 (bottom) Örvar Atli Þorgeirsson - www.arcticphoto.is: cover Science Photo Library: Jeremy Bishop: page 19 (top); Bernhard Edmaier: page 29 (top right) Shutterstock: pages 1, 3, 4 (top), 5 (bottom), 7 (top), 10 (bottom), 23 (top), 25 (bottom), 29 (top left and bottom) U.S. Department of Interior, U.S. Geological Survey: page 16 (top) Visuals Unlimited, Inc.: G. Brad Lewis: page 24 (top); Dr. Richard Roscoe: page 24 (bottom) Wikipedia: Diego Valázquez, The Forge of Vulcan: page 5(top); filippo_jean: page 7 (middle); M. Williams, National Park Service: page 7 (bottom); USGS: pages 10 (top inset), 11 (bottom); Luca Galuzzi-www.galuzzi.it: page 13 (bottom); NOAA: page 23 (bottom) Maps: Jim Chernishenko: p. 8, p. 9 Illustrations: Robert MacGregor: p. 12; Dan Pressman: pp. 6-7, p. 13 (top, middle), pp. 14-15, p. 17 (top), p. 18 (all); David Wysotski: pp. 30-31 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Challen, Paul C. (Paul Clarence), 1967- Volcano Alert! / Paul Challen. -- Revised edition. pages cm. -- (Disaster Alert!) Includes index. ISBN 978-0-7787-1628-0 (pbk. : alk. paper) -- ISBN 978-0-7787-1595-5 (reinforced library binding : alk. paper) -- ISBN 978-1-4271-9623-1 (electronic (pdf)) 1. Volcanoes--Juvenile literature. 2. Seismology--Juvenile literature. I. Title. QE521.3.C455 2011 363.34'95--dc22 2010048134 Company www.crabtreebooks.com 1-800-387-7650 Copyright 2011 CRABTREE PUBLISHING COMPANY. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or be transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Company. In Canada: We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund for our publishing activities. Published in Canada 616 Welland Ave. St. Catharines, Ontario L2M 5V6 Published in the United States PMB 59051 350 Fifth Avenue, 59th Floor New York, New York 10118 Published in the United Kingdom Maritime House Basin Road North, Hove BN41 1WR Published in Australia 386 Mt. Alexander Rd. Ascot Vale (Melbourne) VIC 3032

Table of Contents 4 Sleeping Giants 6 What is a Volcano? 8 How Volcanoes Form 12 Busting Loose 14 Underwater Volcano 16 Volcano Forecasting 18 Kinds of Eruptions 20 Famous Volcanoes 24 Staying Safe 26 After the Volcano 28 Under the Volcano 30 Recipe for Disaster 32 Glossary, Index, and Websites

Sleeping Giants All over the world, volcanoes can be found on top of the Earth s surface and on the bottom of large bodies of water. Often, these massive structures sit for many years even centuries without making a sound. At other times, the story is much different. When volcanoes erupt, they cause tremendous damage. During eruptions, burning hot rocks, ash, steam, and lava shoot out of the volcano, destroying anything in their path. Violent volcanic eruptions cause great damage to property and the environment. Houses, public buildings, and even entire villages, forests, and farms are destroyed. The world s worst volcanic disasters have claimed thousands of lives and cost billions of dollars in repairs. What is a disaster? A disaster is a destructive event that affects the natural world and human communities. Some disasters are predictable and others occur without warning. Coping successfully with a disaster often depends on a community s preparation. 4 Ash and debris deposited during a volcanic eruption destroyed these houses. People who live near volcanoes must be aware of the dangers.

Volcano myths Ancient peoples thought volcanic eruptions were the work of angry gods, determined to punish people for deeds that displeased them. In ancient Rome, people believed that a volcano s explosion was caused by the Roman god Vulcan, who worked in a blacksmith shop under the Sicilian island of Vulcano. Vulcan made weapons for his fellow gods, and when his workshop became busy, Romans believed hot rocks and liquid metal flew up from below the Earth s surface. Vulcan forges a volcanic eruption. Living in the shadow Today, the scientists who study volcanoes, called volcanologists, know that eruptions are not caused by angry gods and goddesses who dwell underneath the Earth, but by natural forces. This knowledge helps people who live in the shadow of volcanoes to recognize when volcanoes threaten to erupt. Volcanoes can be dangerous but they are also awe-inspiring natural wonders. A sign warns people of the dangerous volcanic fumes in an area of Hawaii. 5