Introduction
Volcanic eruptions can have many catastrophic and good environmental impacts. One of the major issues regarding volcanoes is that they can give little to no warning before they have a deadly eruption. Read the full blog below to learn more about the impacts of these powerful eruptions and how they shape our planet!
Harmful Gases
When a volcano erupts, they do not just spit ash, but they also generally spew harmful gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, etc. These gases can be very harmful to humans and other animals in the surrounding environment and can even be deadly. Additionally, these gases can cause acid rain which can be harmful both to living beings and can even corrode and destroy things like metal and wood.
Creation of New Land
One of the major good environmental impacts is that volcanic eruptions can create new land. Many tropical islands have been created over time through underwater volcanic eruptions and Hawaii is a perfect example of this. Currently, there are fifteen volcanoes in Hawaii, but only about 1/3 of those are actually active but Hawaii was created completely through volcanic eruptions and other volcanic activity.
Volcanic ash is also extremely good for soil. Volcanic ash contains minerals such as calcium, potassium, and sodium which promote plant growth. This can be good for a recovering environment after an eruption occurs and also is a good explanation for why places like Pompeii were so enticing to live in. This recovering and thriving environment can promote biodiversity and can be very helpful to our environment.
Destruction of Land
Volcanic eruptions can destroy land extremely quickly and can completely wipe out entire ecosystems in just a matter of minutes. In addition to the eruption of lava, volcanoes can cause mudslides, wildfires, and many other destructive and deadly events. This destruction is sad for the existing organisms but could also be seen as good because it almost works as a natural reset every so often.
Conclusion
Volcanic eruptions are a key part of our planet as some currently active volcanoes are hundreds of thousands of years old. Volcanoes of any size can have major good and bad effects on the environment. Although Highlands Environmental Solutions does not have much environmental work experience with volcanoes, we have a wide range of other environmentally related services that we specialize in! Click the link below or reach out to info@hesnc.com for more information!
Emergency & Disaster Response – Highlands Environmental Solutions, Inc.
