It is hard to imagine how wild horror the eruptions of volcanoes caused by ancient people who could not find an explanation for what was happening. Geological science, exploring volcanoes, has found answers to many questions, but these amazing geological objects still hold many secrets and secrets. Let's try to reveal some secrets in order to tell in our article the most interesting facts about volcanoes not only on the earth's surface, but also on other planets.
1
Name
The name of the fire-breathing geological object dates back to ancient Roman mythology. In the pantheon of Roman gods was the patron saint of fire, the god Volcano, who lived on Mount Etna. Thus, the modern name comes from the Latin word Volcanus.
2
Gift of Prometheus
The ancient Greeks long before the Romans settled at the foot of Etna their god Hephaestus, who was the patron of blacksmithing. The myth reports that Prometheus stole fire from the mouth of a volcano, and presented it to people.
3
Gods of america
The Aztecs and other ethnic groups of Central America identified volcanoes with the gods. They believed that their heavenly patrons live in the lava of volcanoes. To appease the gods, they brought sacrifices to them, throwing the most beautiful girls into the mouth.
Popocatepetl, worshiped by the Aztecs, is today the most dangerous volcano in America. Every year it emits tons of gas and ash into the atmosphere, and in the immediate vicinity there is an agglomeration in which more than 20 million people live.
4
Atlantis
The eruption of a volcano on the island of Santorini led to the immersion of part of the land in the ocean. This was the basis for the emergence of the legend of Atlantis.
A prosperous city hid under water, and for thousands of years there have been enthusiasts who have not lost hope of finding a sunken civilization.
5
Unique island
Eruptions not only lead to disasters, but can also form a new land area. So it was with the island of Surtsey, which was formed in 1963 as a result of an underwater eruption.
On a newly formed island near the coast of Iceland, scientists are conducting studies that can open the veil of secrecy, how the earth was formed and life was born on the planet. Note that ordinary tourists are not allowed into this territory, and only a few scientists have access.
6
The Legend of Popocatepetl and Istaxiuatl
Two nearby volcanoes in Mexico became the heroes of a beautiful legend. Istaxiwatl, translated from the Nahuatl language, means White Woman, and Popocatepetl means Smoky Hill.
So, the girl fell in love with the young man, but her parents were against their union. The girl was given to another and she, not having experienced separation, committed suicide. The young man didn’t put up with the loss of his beloved ... That’s how two beautiful volcanoes have been standing nearby since that time.
7
Medieval views
In the Middle Ages, most Europeans believed that vents were the entrance to the underworld. Catholic priests used this knowledge gap to frighten people with a fiery hyena. According to the Bible, this is a place where a fire constantly burns, in which sewage is burned, as well as the bones of corpses.
By the way, there is an interesting article about the most beautiful medieval manuscripts on most-beauty.ru.
8
Great hunger
There is a version that the eruption of Wainaputin in 1600 in Peru caused hunger in the vastness of Russia in 1601-1603. As a result, due to the release of a large amount of ash into the atmosphere, a volcanic winter, or “small ice age”, began.
The famine led to popular uprisings, but direct evidence of the influence of Waynaputin on the events of the Time of Troubles in Russia has not yet been discovered. But we can say for sure that indirectly the eruption led to the overthrow of the Gonudovs from the Russian throne.
9
Yellowstone Caldera
For several decades, the American megavolcano has been keeping all of humanity in tension, and especially the inhabitants of the United States. When the supervolcano wakes up, it is difficult to assume, but the consequences will be tragic.
Scientists have designed the consequences if a volcano explodes in Yellowstone Nature Reserve. As a result of the eruption, a huge funnel is formed, and ash will reduce the penetration of sunlight, which will lead to a significant decrease in temperature.
About seven active supervolcanoes, the eruption of which may occur soon, on our site most-beauty.ru there is fascinating material.
10
Ring of fire
Most volcanoes are located along the coast of the Pacific Ocean, forming a kind of Pacific ring of fire. It is in this part of the planet that the most eruptions are recorded, causing powerful earthquakes and tsunamis.
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Volcanic bombardment
During the eruption, lumps of lava erupt from the vent in a liquid or plastic state. Scraps of lava bursting from the vent can reach several tons in weight.
During the flight, such lumps congeal and acquire a specific shape, therefore, on the slopes and at the foot, you can find peculiar volcanic bombs.
12
Special equipment
To study volcanic formations, volcanologists use unusual equipment. There is also a special thermometer among the instruments, which measures how many degrees there are in the vent. It is created from special alloys, as ordinary glass is easy to melt. This thermometer is called "Thermocouple".
13
Snow in africa
There is a unique solitary volcano Kilimanjaro on the African continent. It is located near the equator, and the top of a high, cone-shaped mountain is covered with snow.
Local tribes from ancient times revere a high mountain as a deity, the name literally translates as "a mountain that sparkles."
14
Australia
The only continent on the planet where there is no active volcano. The fact is that Australia is located in the center of the tectonic platform, and fire-breathing mountains are located on the faults of tectonic plates.
15
Unusual study
What kind of research do not conduct in the world. So, American scientists conducted studies that were supposed to answer the question of what would happen if a person falls into the crater of an active volcano.
It would seem that the answer is obvious. A man will simply burn in a red-hot lava. That was the money spent by American taxpayers. The only interesting thing is who was used to conduct the experiment.
16
Volcanoes on Venus
The turbulent youth of Venus was accompanied by constant eruptions of volcanoes, because of which the surface of the planet for the most part consists of basalt rocks.
On Venus there are volcanic structures characteristic of the Cosmos only for it. These are Nova, cracks in the crust from which lava poured. Arachnoids, sagging domes of volcanoes, on top similar to a web. There are also crowns, complex structures of ring ridges and cracks.
17
Natural disasters
Volcanic eruptions sometimes lead to great disasters and human casualties. Scientists estimate that over the past 400 years of history, 25 million people have died from eruptions.
Eruptions also affect everyday life. The volcano with the unpronounceable name Eyyafyadlayokyudl in Iceland stopped for several days air connections over Europe.
18
The Fatal Mountain from The Lord of the Rings
The volcano Ruapehu in New Zealand became the hero of the film adaptation of the novel "The Lord of the Rings." In 2016, the "cinema mountain" woke up. The eruption was accompanied by emissions of ash and lava.
Participated in the fantasy film and Tongariro. Its uniqueness is that it consists of 12 cones.
19
Tamu massif
There are volcanic formations and under water. The thyroid volcano in the Pacific Ocean is the largest not only on our planet, but also in the entire solar system.
Its area is about 260,000 km², and its height is 4,500 m. It died out immediately after its formation, some 145 million years ago.
20
Martian Olympus
The highest in the solar system, it is Olympus volcano, formed on the surface of Mars. The relative height of this giant is 26,000 m.
21
Russian giants
On the map of Russia is the highest active volcano in Eurasia Klyuchevskaya Sopka, as well as the highest extinct Elbrus. The hill in Kamchatka is also the highest point in Russia outside the Caucasus.
22
The tragedy of the twentieth century
The most terrible catastrophe of the last century was the eruption of Mont Pele on the island of Martinique. The element of 1902 claimed the lives of 30 121 people. Of all the inhabitants of the island, only two survived. A shoemaker who lived on the other side of the island and a prisoner who was saved by the concrete walls of the cell.
23
Crater Restaurant
Tourists come to the Spanish island of Lanzarote to visit a unique restaurant. He works at the crater of an active volcano, and dishes are prepared over the vent. The temperature of such a furnace sometimes reaches 400 ° C and higher.
24
Most active
The Hawaiian Kilauea began its eruption in 1983, which continues to this day. The uniqueness is also that the height of the most active volcano is 1,247 m, but it is above the surface of the water. Another 5 km of the slope is under the ocean.
25
Black beaches
Beautiful amazing black sand beaches are the result of volcanic eruptions. The sand of such beaches consists of volcanic rocks that crumble into sand grains under the influence of time and the environment.
By the way, on our site most-beauty.ru there is an interesting article about the TOP-15 places where you can meet the most beautiful black beaches.
26
Earth Heat
Such a term was coined for the energy that is used to heat water. In Iceland, special power plants generate hot magma energy, which they then use to heat homes.
27
Canned time
The terrible catastrophe of 79 BC. e. destroyed the city of Pompeii. The eruption of Vesuvius covered two more cities with ashes and lava flows. Archaeological excavations are unique in that time in these dead cities stopped, leaving a picture of how people of antiquity lived before the tragedy.
28
Glacial period
The super-eruption that occurred on the island of Toba (now Indonesia) 75 thousand years ago, was the beginning of a new ice age. The earth plunged into volcanic winter, and a new element appeared in the atmosphere - sulfuric acid.
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Measurements
The power of eruptions is measured on a scale of Volcanic eruptions - VEI. The strongest are assigned 8 points, and 0, respectively, to the weakest eruptions.
30
Scheme
In conclusion, most-beauty.ru invites you to study the drawing to see what is inside the volcano. All of them vary in shape and type, but have a vent, crater.
There is a magma chamber inside, and there can be several such chambers. For example, Vesuvius, which threatens the destruction of Naples, has three magnetic chambers. As a result of eruptions, side vents can form on the slopes. Lava also flows through them.
Conclusion
Everything about volcanoes in one article is impossible. But, hopefully, our dear reader has learned something new, and most importantly, how the volcano is built, what is the caldera of the volcano and what threatens humanity with the eruption of the largest caldera of our planet under the beautiful name Yellowstone caldera.
Posted by Valery Skiba