Volcanoes - Volcanologists

Volcanoes--sinister and dangerous creations that wreak havoc and death, demanding fear and reverence from all. But yet, people show none. They have busy lives and don’t have time for “silly” things such as destructive volcanic eruptions. On top of that, they have all seen the movies in which people have effortlessly escaped the wrath of magma flow of “the rather gentle and atypical volcanoes in Hawaii.” These people willingly, and sometimes unknowingly, make themselves easy prey for volcanic eruptions. But there is one group of people--people who have seen the horror that volcanoes wreak, people who have thoroughly studied these monstrosities, people who want to protect lives from volcanoes--Volcanologists.

Volcanoes are absolutely terrifying parts of nature. Their eruptions are unpredictable, and the unpredictability of volcanic eruptions combined with the sheer destructive power of them creates a force that no human power can reckon with. What actually causes the majority of deaths is not the lava, but rather the intensely hot gas that rushes down the sides of the volcano at an incredible 60 miles per hour, obliterating anything in its path. “These pyroclastic flows can knock down stone walls 10 feet thick and have killed thousands of people in less than two minutes,” says Dr. Stanley Williams. “Well, why don’t these victims just run away?”, you might ask. “In the movies, people outrun the flows, but in real life the flows desiccate the flesh and fry the lungs of everyone in their path.” also quoted by Dr. Williams. On top of the awe-inspiring speed of the deadly volcanic gas, people just don’t take heed to scientists’ warnings. Volcanoes can show all the signs of an erupting volcano, and then settle down again, “leading the public to accuse scientists of ’crying wolf”, as excerpted from “Facing the Peril of Earth’s Cauldrons, Scientists Try to Save Lives” (The New York Times). Either that, or they simply [and foolishly] disavow the imminent dangers. There was an incident on November 13, 1985 when scientists had issued a warning when a high volcano showed signs of eruption. The people simply ignored the warning because the volcano was far away. “They had only to walk 100 yards to a hill to be safe. That night, 26,000 people died.” (“Facing the Peril of Earth’s Cauldrons, Scientists Try to Save Lives” The New York Times)

The destructive capability of volcanoes along with the ignorance [of some] people is definitely not a good combination. Fortunately, the “Samaritan” volcanologists are taking steps to make the world a safer place from volcanoes, specifically, three steps. A group of volcanologists,