Simply put, that particular crack in the Earth's crust that can force out volcanic ash and lava is a volcano. Several volcanoes can be found the world over where some of them are active while some are dormant but note that history has it that this force of nature can truly result to hundreds of death for people and even animals. Those who study these geological features are known as volcanologists.
Volcanologists study volcanoes for many reasons, but one of the primary goals of volcanology is our desire to predict volcanic eruptions. This, of course, has the potential to save many lives. While volcanologists can measure seismic activity and the levels of certain gases, it is difficult to pinpoint the exact time at which a volcano will erupt or the extent of the eruption.
Records have it that more than 25,000 lives have already been lost because of volcanic eruptions for the past 50 years. The most number of people killed reached more than 22,000 when Nevado del Ruiz in Colombia erupted and it is considered as the most catastrophic of volcanic events. As for the United States, the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980 may be the most destructive with 57 people killed and millions of dollars of damages.
Several different tools are used by volcanologists in their studies. One such important tool is the clinometers or inclinometer which is actually a tilt meter. What a clinometer does is measure the slope's angles. Especially constructed for measuring tiny changes in cases of horizontal levels - this is what the tilt meter is. Extremely small changes can be measured accurately by this device thus helping scientists to record volcanic changes. To measure seismic waves, volcanologists depend on the tool called seismometers.
Obviously, seismic activity is something that occurs prior to a volcanic eruption. The release of different gases also occurs, and volcanologists use special devices to measure the different levels of gases. A correlation spectrometer is one such device and this is used to measure the levels of sulfur dioxide. A rise in this type of gas near a volcano can be a significant indicator that an eruption is eminent.
When volcanologists begin their study on a volcano they are likely to use several surveying tools including optical instruments and theodolites. Once the survey has been done rock samples are likely to be collected by them because they can tell so much historical prospective using the rocks found in the area of the volcano. A rock hammer of course is still truly useful for this even when there can already be high-tech equipment around.
Volcanologists study volcanoes for many reasons, but one of the primary goals of volcanology is our desire to predict volcanic eruptions. This, of course, has the potential to save many lives. While volcanologists can measure seismic activity and the levels of certain gases, it is difficult to pinpoint the exact time at which a volcano will erupt or the extent of the eruption.
Records have it that more than 25,000 lives have already been lost because of volcanic eruptions for the past 50 years. The most number of people killed reached more than 22,000 when Nevado del Ruiz in Colombia erupted and it is considered as the most catastrophic of volcanic events. As for the United States, the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980 may be the most destructive with 57 people killed and millions of dollars of damages.
Several different tools are used by volcanologists in their studies. One such important tool is the clinometers or inclinometer which is actually a tilt meter. What a clinometer does is measure the slope's angles. Especially constructed for measuring tiny changes in cases of horizontal levels - this is what the tilt meter is. Extremely small changes can be measured accurately by this device thus helping scientists to record volcanic changes. To measure seismic waves, volcanologists depend on the tool called seismometers.
Obviously, seismic activity is something that occurs prior to a volcanic eruption. The release of different gases also occurs, and volcanologists use special devices to measure the different levels of gases. A correlation spectrometer is one such device and this is used to measure the levels of sulfur dioxide. A rise in this type of gas near a volcano can be a significant indicator that an eruption is eminent.
When volcanologists begin their study on a volcano they are likely to use several surveying tools including optical instruments and theodolites. Once the survey has been done rock samples are likely to be collected by them because they can tell so much historical prospective using the rocks found in the area of the volcano. A rock hammer of course is still truly useful for this even when there can already be high-tech equipment around.
About the Author:
Carey Bourdier enjoys blogging about precision scientific instruments. To get more information about surveying instruments like an electronic protractor, or to find other alignment instruments, go to the Warren Knight website today.
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