The Eruption of Mount Vesuvius took place on this date in 79AD. 10 things you might not know about volcanic eruptions:
The word volcano derives from the Roman god of fire, Vulcan. The study of volcanoes is called volcanology, sometimes spelled vulcanology.
There are two main types – composite volcanoes, cone-shaped with steep slopes, and shield volcanoes, wide with gentle slopes. There are also classifications relating to the amount of activity. “Active” means regular activity, “dormant” means there’s been recent activity but the volcano is currently quiet, and “extinct” means it’s been so long since the last eruption that it’s unlikely to ever erupt again.
The danger area around a volcano covers about a 20-mile radius. Approximately 350 million people live within the danger area of an active volcano. That means about one in 20 people live in an area at risk of volcanic activity.
There are more than 500 active volcanoes in the world. 75% of them are part of the "Ring of Fire," a region that encircles the Pacific Ocean. Indonesia is the most volcanically active country on the Ring of Fire.
Paricutin is a cinder cone volcano which suddenly appeared in a cornfield in Mexico in 1943. The owner of the field was one Dionisio Pulido. One likes to think that what he lost in corn production was compensated for by the fact he was now the owner of a scientific curiosity and later a tourist attraction. Paricutin was active for nine years in which it was extensively studied. Today. It’s dormant and tourists flock to climb it.
While still inside the volcano, the liquid rock is called magma. Once the volcano erupts the same stuff is called lava. Lava from a volcano can reach 1,250°C. Sometimes volcanoes spew out mud as well. Mud flows from volcanoes are called lahars. They can sweep away buildings and kill people just as much as lava can.
The largest active volcano on Earth is Mauna Loa in Hawaii at 4,169m tall, which last erupted in 2022. There are larger volcanoes elsewhere in the solar system, the largest known being Olympus Mons on Mars.
The loudest sound in recorded history was made by a volcano. When Krakatoa in Southeast Asia erupted in 1883 it released 200 megatrons of energy – the equivalent of 15,000 nuclear bombs.
Sometimes there’s lightning inside the clouds of volcanic ash created by an eruption. These clouds generate static electricity just like thunderclouds do.
Okay, so volcanoes kill people and do an awful lot of damage, but without them there would probably be no life on Earth. More than 80% of the earth's surface is volcanic in origin. Gaseous emissions from volcanoes formed the earth's atmosphere, and they also released the hydrogen and Oxygen inside the rocks, creating water. Then, over time, lava and ash break down to produce nutrient-rich soil, which explains why those 350 million people chose to live near volcanoes – it’s the best place for growing crops. Some birds, like the Maleo bird, find them useful too. They bury their eggs near volcanoes to keep them warm. When the chicks hatch they claw their way up to the surface.
The first in a new series! It has invading aliens, gladiator-style contests, rivalry and romance.
The six richest people in Britain decide to hold a contest to settle the question of which of them is most successful. It will be a gladiator style contest with each entrant fielding a team of ten super-powered combatants. Entrepreneur Llew Powell sets out to put together his team, which includes his former lover, an employee of his company with a fascinating hobby, two refugees from another dimension (a lonely giant and a drunken sailor), two sisters bound together by a promise, a diminutive doctor, a former Tibetan monk initiate and two androids with a history. As the team train together, alliances form, friendships and more develop, while others find the past is not easy to leave behind.
Meanwhile, a ruthless race of aliens has its eyes on the Earth. Already abducting and enslaving humans, they work towards the final invasion which would destroy life on Earth as we know it. Powell’s group, Combat Team Alpha, stumble upon one of the wormholes the aliens use to travel to Earth and witness for themselves the horrors in store if the aliens aren’t stopped. Barely escaping with their lives, they realise there are more important things to worry about than a fighting competition.
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