Active Volcano Crater, Ecuador
Originally uploaded by dotnethed
This picture of Tungurahua Volcano in Ecuador was found on the photoshare site, Flickr. If you were asked to draw a “typical volcano” this is the classic cone shape you would probably sketch. Many of the world’s most famous volcanoes are cone shaped-or composite volcanoes, but there are other types, too. Volcanoes tend to be found in 3 main physical regions across the world:
1. Constructive plate boundaries-ie where the sea floor is spreading as new crust is formed
2. Destructive plate boundaries-ie where an oceanic and a continental plate collide. One plate goes under the other.
3. Hot Spot-where “bubbles” of magama rise close to the surface.
In this lesson we shall look at;
What? What are the most important volcanoes in the world?
Where? Where are they found? Is there a pattern to their location?
Why? Why are volcanoes only found in particular places? Why are there different types of volcano?
When? when was the last major eruption?
Who? what effect do volcanoes have on people?
Nb 1 volcano
2 or more volcanoes.
Significant volcanoes:
Mount St Helens, Washington state, USA
Vesuvius, Italy
nyiragongo, Congo
Cotopaxi, Mexico
Etna, Scicily
Krakatoa, Indonesia
Popocatepetal, Mexico
Hawaian island chain group of shield volcanoes developing over hot spot, eg Mauna Loa
What’s New?
Volcano Hazards.
Log on to the US Geology Survey update on current volcanoes here.
Snow fences, Cairngorms
Originally uploaded by jmmcdgll
Spent October break at the iconic Coylumbridge Hotel, which I last stayed at in the early 70s, back in the heyday of Aviemore as the winter resort of the UK. We used this as a base to explore the area, with top marks going to the quad biking. Looking at the activities on offer within the Rothiemurchus estate was like being plunged into a Higher Geography question on rural land use issues. I could see the potential for some good field work on conflicts of interest, but I also feel we can sometimes make too much of the theme of “conflict” and automatically ascribe to each and every activity within a national park a minus point in a conflict checklist. To take quad bikes, certainly they are noisey and churn up the land, but it is strictly contained within a small area near the town, and only runs at particular times. In fact I got a real sense of the amount of space surrounding the honeypots-vast areas of rock strewn mountains, forests and moorland, with scarcely a person to be seen. What I felt was that many activities do is encourage people out of their houses and into the countryside, to enjoy the beauty of the autumn colours, to try something new. The main problem is cost-for a family of four each activity could be upwards from £50
That said, it is clear that certain areas do suffer from overkill-the flanks of the Cairngorms are criss crossed by weathered snow fences and the ghostly infrastructure of old chair lifts. Broad, ever widening paths cut into the hillside, with secondary paths evolving along side. There are many of disapprove of the whole concept of the Cairngorm Mountain Railway, which makes it easier for more people to ascend the mountain.Car parks and mountain restuarants are anathema to those who want the mountains wild and challenging.The issue, as always, is to assess the costs and benefits of such developments. In a time of recession, and job losses, who would deny this region the chance to generate income, and create employment? But what price the environment?
