TWO OF MEXICO’S DANGEROUS

VOLCANOES THREATENING TO ERUPT

Popocatapatele and Colima,

two of Mexico’s volcanoes,

are acting up again

February 5, 2015

For now the eruptions are not

considered to be dangerous and no

evacuations have been ordered.

POPOCATEPL: EMMITING GAS

ABD ASH PLUMES

POPOCATEPL: A THREAT TO

MEXICO CITY

COLIMA: A NORE DISTANT

THREAT

WARNING:

Don’t forget that the

world’s 1498 other

active volcanoes can

erupt anytime, also.

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION OF 1,500

ACTIVE VOLCANOES

11 VOLCANOES THE WORLD

HOPES WILL NOT ERUPT AGAIN

• Eyjafjallajökull

and Katla

(ICELAND)

• Chaiten

• Krakatau

• Merapi

• Colimas

• Vesuvius

• Pinatubo

• Mount Rainier

• Nevada del Ruiz

• Popocatepl

• Nyirangongo

(CONGO)

A RE-ERUPTION OF ANY

OF THESE ACTIVE

VOLCANOES IS LIKELY TO

BE VERY DEVASTATING,

LOCALLY, REGIONALLY,

AND GLOBALLY

LATERAL BLAST

VOLCANIC

ERUPTIONS

PYROCLASTIC FLOWS

FLYING DEBRIS

VOLCANIC ASH

LAVA FLOWS

LAHARS

TOXIC GASES

CAUSES

OF RISK

DISASTER

LABORATORIES

WHAT MAKES A VOLCANO

ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS

• Location and a

large explosivity

index (VEI)

combine to make

some volcanoes

especially

dangerous.

LOCATION NEAR CITIES MAKES SOME

VOLCANOES VERY DANGEROUS

An eruption at some locations

is certain to be devastating to

people, their property, their

health, the community infra-

structure, the environment, and

the economy.

The Eyjafjallajökull and Katla

Volcanoes: Southern Iceland

EUROPEAN AIR TRAFFIC

DISRUPTED: APRIL 15, 2010

The 800-meter fissure caused by

the first eruption, which grew to 1.2

km in the second eruption, could be

heading towards the Myrdalsjokall

glacier, which sits atop the powerful

Katla volcano

An eruption of the Katla

volcano, located under the

massive Myrdalsjokull icecap,

could cause disastrous local

flooding, explosive blasts, and

eruption clouds that would

disrupt air traffic between

Europe and the USA.

VOLCANO CHAITEN ERUPTS:

CHILE: MAY 3, 2008

CHAITEN ERUPTED AFTER 8,000-

10,000 YEAR DORMANCY

•THE 1,200 M (3,550 FT) VOLCANO

SENT ASH HIGH INTO THE SKY.

• “VOLCANIC EARTHQUAKES

WERE TRIGGERED IN THE AREA.

•1,500 RESIDENTS EVACUATED,

MOSTLY BY BOAT

Krakatau

• 26-27 August, 1883

• The big one!

http://www.geology.sdsu.edu/how_volcanoes_work/Krakatau.html

The 1883 Krakatoa Eruption !

Anak Krakatoa—Son of Krakatoa

MOUNT MERAPI:

INDONESIA

INDONESIA’S MOUNT MERAPI

ERUPTED IN MAY & JUNE, 2006

• Mount Merapi

emitted lava,

debris, and a

pyroclastic flow

on May 15, but

this one was

not devastating.

EXPLOSIVENESS OF JUNE 8

ERUPTION SENT 15,000 FLEEING

MOUNT VESUVIUS: ITALY; A

THREAT TO NAPLES

Mount Somma-Vesuvius• Location: Bay

Naples, east of the city of Naples, Italy

• Last eruption: March, 1944

MOUNT FUJI: JAPAN; A THREAT

TO TOKYO

MT. PINATUBO: THE PHILIPPINES;

JUNE 15, 1991

Pinatubo was the second largest

eruption of the 20th century and the

largest to impact a densely

populated area.

MOUNT RAINIER: THREAT TO

WASHINGTON (USA)

MOUNT RAINIER: LAHAR

SIMULATION

MOUNT RAINIER: LAHAR

SIMULATION

MOUNT RAINIER: LAHAR

SIMULATION

NEVADA DEL RUIZ:

COLOMBIA; A 1985 DISASTER

The lahar generated by the eruption

of Nevada del Ruiz buried 25,000

people in the city of Armero as they

slept.

Africa's most active

volcano.

NYIRANGONGO: DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC

OF CONGO; A THREAT TO GOMA

ERUPTION OF NYIRANGONGO:

JANUARY 2, 2010