Volcanoes on Pitara Kids Network

What is a Volcano?

Wed, 24 Sep 2003 17:37:09 +0000

What is nature’s most powerful, most destructive, most dangerous form? Some would say an earthquake, others a cyclone. However, these phenomenon are relatively smaller and less destructive in scale compared to the fury of a volcano.

Fourteen miles southeast of Naples in Italy, lie the remains of an ancient town called Pompeii. The city flourished under the shadows of the towering Mount Vesuvius. In 79 AD, the volcano erupted, destroying the cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum, Stabiae and Torre Annunziata.

The Hot and Sizzling Volcano

Sun, 31 Jan 1999 04:43:51 +0000

Despite being the subject of considerable scientific study, Volcanoes continue to remain both dramatic and unpredictable. In 1991 Mount Pinatubo, 100 km north of the Philippines capital Manila, suddenly burst into life after lying dormant for more than six centuries. Most of the world’s active volcanoes occur in a belt around the Pacific Ocean, on the edge of the Pacific plate called the Ring of Fire. Indonesia has the greatest concentration with 90 volcanoes, 12 of which are active. The most famous, Krakatoa erupted in 1883 with such force that the resulting tidal wave killed 36,000 people and tremors were felt as far away as Australia.

Volcano Erupts in Alaska

Sun, 31 Aug 2008 14:08:45 +0000

Where: Anchorage, Alaska, USA

March 23, 2009 : The 3,100 metre high Mount Redoubt, an active volcano, erupted six times in 36 hours starting Sunday, March 22, 2009. It threw up an ash plume almost 15 kilometres high into the air. Scientists had begun issuing alerts 48 hours earlier as they were recording 40 to 50 earthquakes every hour during that period.

Residents of Anchorage, Alaska’s biggest town, which is about 150 kilometres west of the volcano, experienced falls of fine ash dust. There was no falling ash, though, as winds blew the ash cloud away from Anchorage. Volanic ash in the region is like rock fragments with jagged edges. It can injure eyes, skin and breathing passages. It can also damage plane and car engines. Residents were advised to stay indoors as much as possible, to avoid driving, and to cover air inlets and all open water supplies.

Volcano Erupts in Chile

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 02:53:07 +0000

Where: Santiago, Chile

April 4, 2009 : Llaima volcano, which is located in Chile’s scenic lake region, erupted on Saturday, 4 April, 2009. It is one of the most active volcanoes in South America. It emitted a river of lava more than 1,000 metres long. People could see bright red bursts of lava in the night sky during the eruptions. Explosions reaching 600 metres above the crater, and falling ash were also visible.

The lava and hot gases from the eruption have melted the snow on the sides of the volcano. Some towns were thought to be in danger of being hit by mudslides. Some 70 people from the sparsely populated region were shifted out to safety. The Conguillio national park which surrounds the volcano has been closed. While an ash-swollen river near the volcano swept away a pedestrian bridge, no other damage was reported.

The Luckiest Men?

Thu, 20 Mar 2003 07:30:43 +0000

St Pierre was a town of some 30,000 inhabitants, lying in a mile-long, crescent-shaped strip in the Martinique Islands, in the Caribbean or West Indies. The city had a grand backdrop: the 4,430 feet high Mount Pelee or ‘bald’ mountain. The mountain lives on but the town has become a part of its fiery history. Mount Pelee is a dormant volcano that erupts once in a while and then lies cold for a long time and without any activity.

The earth has more than 600 active volcanoes. Many of them are to be found ...

Mon, 15 Nov 2004 23:28:54 +0000