Summary
In this section, you learned the following:
- What the different types of volcanoes are
- How the different types of volcanoes form and erupt
- The different products of volcanic activity including pyroclastic flows, lahars, and the different types of lava
- The hazards associated with volcanic eruptions
Synthesis
As you saw in the videos and readings, volcanoes can be beautiful but very deadly. It is important for those studying these dynamic forces to understand how they form, why they form where they do, what to expect when they erupt, and how often they will erupt—with at least some accuracy (which is not always easy to do). Knowing when an eruption is going to occur and how big the eruption will be can help save lives.
However, volcanic eruptions do have a positive side. Besides being spectacular to watch, the eruptions allow scientists to study the newly erupted material from inside the Earth. This is as close as we can get to knowing what the interior of the Earth looks like. Eruptions also help increase the fertility of the soil by adding essential nutrients. It doesn’t take long for nature to bounce back after these huge eruptions.