Volcanoes and Earthquakes

Volcanoes And Earthquakes

Volcanoes and earthquakes have existed here on earth for millions of years. Both are inevitable acts of nature, which can be astounding spectacles at times, and at other times destructive forces. This essay will give an in-depth analysis of the similarities and differences between these two similar, but different phenomenons in topics such as location, what causes them, and what effects they have on our earth.

There are about 1,900 known active volcanoes that can be found around the world, however almost 90 percent of the world's volcanoes are found in the Ring of Fire, a collection of volcanoes circling the edges of the Pacific Ocean "Forces of Nature". The majority of volcanoes are found along the edges of the Pacific because along the coasts lie plate boundaries. Plate boundaries are areas where large slabs of rock meet in the earth's lithosphere, the outer solid part of the earth's crust "Forces of Nature".

What causes a volcano to erupt? The answer is plate tectonics. As the earth's plates shift and interact they trigger a gradual chain of events that can lead to eruptions. When two plates come together, one of the plates may slide under another plate, this process is called subduction. The descending plate is then heated causing the rock to melt, resulting in magma, or molten rock. The magma rises through the plate above it and can burst out of the surface as lava. Volcanoes are notorious for their devastating effects not only on human life, but also on the environment. Lava, toxic gases, ash, and landslides are some of the most hazardous effect of volcanoes. Lava flow can cause extensive loss by destroying buildings and crops. Eruptions emit a number of harmful gases such as carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and carbon monoxide into the atmosphere. Ash from the magma contributes to acid rain and global warming, but perhaps the most dangerous of these effects, are landslides. Landslides can potentially bury a city in just hours.

Most earthquakes take place along fractures in the earth's crust called faults. These faults usually occur along the edges of major plates, the same plates that cause volcanic eruption. Earthquakes also have a specific region where the majority of quakes occur, similar to the Ring of Fire. The region is called the Quake Belt; it's responsible for 80 percent of the earth's quakes "Forces of Nature". This is where plates carrying the Pacific Ocean come into contact with the plates carrying the continents surrounding the Pacific. Therefore the Ring of Fire and the Quake Belt fall nearly under the same location.

Along with volcanoes, earthquakes are also caused by plate tectonics. As stated earlier, the earth's plates interact by pushing against each other, or pulling apart from another. Typically the plates move gradually, but occasionally stress